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.

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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.

Animal Farm – socialist Russia in animal form

On its surface a simple drama about talking animals, George Orwell’s revolutionary novel, Animal Farm, has a much deeper and darker critique of the Soviet Union within. In this piece we look at the representation of socialist Russia in George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Orwell’s targets in Animal Farm are the history of the 1917 Russian Revolution the rise of communist dictator Joseph Stalin beginning in 1927, with Stalinism subjected to particularly biting focus. Where in reality the ruling Russian Tsars were overthrown by the people and replaced with government, in the book the farm animals overthrow the farmer Mr Jones, depicted as drunk and inept. The pigs then go on to form their own democracy and ruling class, especially the pigs, but events eventually turn darker as Orwell moves into his Stalinism critique.

One of the novel’s main action points is the battle for dominance between the pigs Snowball and Napoleon, Orwell’s bestial versions of Stalin opponent Leon Trotsky and Stalin himself. Like the idealistic, almost heroic, Trotsky, Snowball is less powerful than Napoleon and as such is exiled from the farm, echoing Trotsky’s own expulsion from the Soviet Union.

From executions to false confessions of misdeeds, the pigs in Animal Farm degenerate further and further to eventually come close to resembling men, their once hated overlords-turned business partners. Much like Stalin’s transformation into a tyrannical dictator, Napoleon becomes a version of Mr Jones, even walking on two legs in a complete rejection of his animal roots. Animal Farm is most effective not in simply showing the abuse of power, but the horrific and heart-breaking hypocrisy at the heart of dictatorships.

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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.

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Classic Novels set in Dublin

Ireland has long been a cradle of great literary talents, from Joyce to Wilde to Beckett, and no more is that true than its capital city Dublin. These classic novels are all set in the famous city itself. With a varied and thriving social culture, a poetic and literary tradition stretching back decades, and a plethora of architectural marvels, it’s easy to see why Dublin has so often captivated writers. And these literary classics truly make the most of the spectacular setting.

Ulysses by James Joyce

The definitive modernist masterpiece, Joyce’s highly experimental classic often proves divisive. But none can doubt the talent and genius on display, with its stream of consciousness prose, linguistic inventiveness, and a combination of high art and low humor, it also remains one of the most enduring and striking cultural depictions of Dublin.

At Swim-Two-Birds by Flann O'Brien

Flann O’Brien is a great example of a writer who was overlooked in their time and then gained long overdue posthumous recognition. A fine purveyor of the kind of experimental fiction and wry humor that made Joyce so famous, this fantastic novel is full of Dublin landmarks, as well as laugh out loud moments and a modernist narrative that cleverly weaves realism, fantasy, and mythology.

The Cock And Anchor by Sheridan Le Fanu

One of the pioneer’s of gothic horror, and someone whose influence can be found as much in modernism as horror, Le Fanu is more famous for his gothic vampire novel which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But this fantastically atmospheric work makes the most of Dublin’s castles and cathedrals, with rich prose and an unsettling narrative.

If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for all your favorite classic novels, head over to www.lassmedia.com, where you’ll find a wide range of classic eBooks and audiobooks.