We’ve all been there- your teacher assigning you to read the next three scenes to read of William Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, only to be tested on a singular passage two weeks later, rendering everything else (bar a few quotes) utterly worthless. 

In the light of World Book Day, I am writing to speak out on behalf of a genre that I feel receives much less credit than it is due, that being classic literature.

Classic books, ranging from plays from the 16th Century to 550-page novels during the reign of Queen Victoria, are core elements as to the evolution of the English language. However, some see these books as ‘boring’, ‘incoherent’, or ‘just not relatable’, I disagree. 

Firstly, some of these exquisite works of literature are very profound, and have the unfathomable ability to change the way you see the world for the rest of your lives. Take Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ for instance: the story following Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters, Jane, Mary and Catherine as the garrulous Mrs Bennet tries to marry them off as 2 rich men come to town. The insightful commentary on the place of women in society (in the Regency era, at least) can really change a person. 

Another reason why I feel classic books should be more respected in the reader’s community is that they have the supreme might to craft entire GENRES for the world to enjoy. A notable example is Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’, Though most of us should be familiar with the movie adaptations, let me tell you as a hard fact- the original book is far more majestic than any Hollywood motion picture can ever hope to be.                                                                       

Long story short, along with Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’,Mary Shelley paved the road to a widely acknowledged cultural genre (books, movies, music, etc.) with her book that was originally credited to a man.  

A reason many readers are deterred from reading classics is that they don’t make sense. And, contradicting every bit of praise I have lavished as to this moment, they are. That is, in fact, a very fair argument to make; as simple as the English language is compared to other languages, it was considerably different in the 19th Century. Here is an extract from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses,’ which perplexed me to the point that I seriously debated learning to read in a foreign language: 

‘Tremendously teapot! I’m London’s teapot, and I’m teapot all over me!’ 

I didn’t get it either.  

However, an advantage of these books is that it actually makes you think about what you’re reading and also improves your writing; hopefully every teacher on both sides of this world will agree.  

So, in conclusion:  

‘It is a truth universally acknowledged that reading, does in fact, improve your grade in English,’ 

Happy World Book Week!