Why classic literature is as important today as it has ever been

Classic literature is something which should be treasured, but too often can summon uncomfortable memories of school days when we were forced to burrow through Cliffs Notes to find out what it all meant really.

However, there are many reasons to revisit classic literature – or even delve books you have previously been too daunted to get into. Without the dread of having writing an assignment on a classic novel, reading it for enjoyment can open up a whole new way of reading.

Here are some reasons why classic literature is so important now more than ever.

It improves concentration and helps you focus on details

In the same way that the complex patterns of classical music are a great way to give your brain a workout, so too is reading classical literature. In today’s world of endless instant, but ultimately meaningless, information and short attention spans, it can take great discipline to read Charles Dickens take two or three pages to describe the contents of a room, or Joseph Conrad detail a man walking down the street over half a chapter.

That kind of detail is very different to modern literature and not what many of us are used to, but that richness of language forces us to slow down and concentrate, which is no bad thing in today’s hectic world.

They inspire great ideas

We can get bogged down on a daily basis with petty and ill-informed debates on social media. Classic literature, however, deals with grand ideas and incisive social commentary. We can learn a lot more from the themes in classic literature than we get from opinionated malcontents online.

Discover some classic literature with the books from www.lassmedia.com.

The impact of Dante’s Inferno

It has been over 700 years since Dante’s Inferno was first written, and a despite the age of the manuscript, it is still one book that has a huge influence on pop culture. Here’s how Dante’s Inferno is still impacting our lives.

The questions it asks

One of the main reasons that Dante’s Inferno has remained so popular is because of the questions that it asks. These questions are the ones for the ages, the questions that seem far beyond human understanding, but we take each of the questions and try to improve our knowledge and philosophies in an attempt to answer them – What is evil? What is redemption?

Understand the forms of human evil

As the first of the divine comedies, Dante’s Inferno looks at all the different types of human evil from the minor to the most depraved and brings them all before the eyes of the reader. Yes, you are in a torture chamber of evil, but it goes beyond that to a level that forces you to question the nature of evil.

The appearances in all elements of culture

All three parts of the Divine Comedies feature within popular culture, but particularly Dante’s Inferno. From the art of Giovanni di Paolo where he represents Paradisio, to the Auguste Rodin’s sculpture group, the gates of hell, the imagery of Inferno has provided plenty of fodder for artists. But the impact does not stop there. Chaucer, Milton, Marx, T.S. Eliot, E. M. Forster, Philip Pullman and even Dan Brown all draw on elements of Dante’s Inferno in their work. And of course the phrase “Abandon hope all Ye who enter here” is inscribed above the gates of hell in Dante’s Inferno, and is an often quoted line in TV and cinema.

For more on how the classics impact the modern world, visit www.lassmedia.com where you will find more interesting effects and legacies that classic literature has left behind.

The name game: Classic novelist and the names that made them famous

One of the jobs of a writer is to construct character, with carefully chosen names and personalities and a good author will show the journey that character goes on throughout the course of the story.

Inventing identities is a key part of any writer’s remit, but what if one of the identities they have constructed is their own? Many well-known writers use pen names to disguise their work, or if they are writing different genre and they want to keep it separate for what they are most famous for. For example Harry Potter creator JK Rowling uses the name Robert Galbraith for her series of detective novels.

However, there are a number of authors whose pseudonym is the name that has made them famous. Here are a few unfamiliar names of famous authors you may not know.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

The former journalist and steamboat worker adopted the name Mark Twain and would go on to make his name penning the novels Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Eric Arthur Blair

This man’s work has seen a resurgence in recent years to the volatile political climate. Best known or social and political cautionary tales 1984 and Animal Farm, Blair is better known as George Orwell.

Mary Anne Evans

Evans wrote mainly light-hearted and romantic novels in Victorian England, but when she decided she wanted to tackle more weighty issues, she decided to change names – and gender – and become George Eliot. Under that name, she would go on to right Middlemarch and Silas Marner.

Find more classic writing from big name authors with the books from www.lassmedia.com.

Why classic novels should be on your must-read list

The world is full of books and we’re pretty sure you can’t read every single one in the world in your lifetime, however, there are many all-time classics that should be on the list of ones to read. Why do you say? Here are a few reasons.

They all offer different lessons - Books aren’t just written for the sake of a story, they are written most of the time with a deeper meaning and for you to learn something at the end. It could be something along the lines of how women are treated in society, raising awareness of different social issues or bringing to light a negative period of time. There is something you will find out from every book and you can share that wisdom with others.

It’s traditional - Books today don’t have the same traditional and rustic value that an old-school or classic book does. Classic books don’t mention social media or the woes of technology, they’re usually written before all that happens and it allows you to immerse yourself into a new yet old world of what things were like.

If you don’t start, you never finish - There are plenty of brilliant classic novels that are timeless. And unlike the books, we all run out of time, and if you don’t pick them up sooner or later, you’ll miss out on reading them altogether. Make it a goal to pick up a classic novel every few months, and then once the ball is rolling you’ll want to read more and more.

Discover a wide selection of classic novels over at www.lassmedia.com.