Some works of literature demand not just reading, but rereading—slowly and deliberately. They are not to be consumed and set aside but to be lived with, returned to, studied and puzzled over.
Great! Thank you for sharing - I'm a father of three and my youngest child now 12 and I have been reading classics together and they include a few you mention in your article which is great to see we are reading the right books - Many of the Agatha Christie and Shelly's Frankenstein. One of our favorites is CS Lewis the ScrewTape Letters and when he was younger Narnia but we just re-read that one because he was asked to read it for his CCD class. Right now we are reading MOBY DICK - that is a tough one to get through (the dialogue in that book doesn't exactly flow off the tongue). Finally, my son wanted to pick up the book JAWS, he's seen the movie about 15 times and one of his teachers suggested he read the book because she said "it's always better to read the book than watch the movie!" So based on your article I would agree we need to get our kids and even adults reading these classics again!
The Chronicles of Prydain is a masterpiece! The growth that Taran experiences is so well done. I have read all the books you listed except Mrs. Frisby. And some of them more than once.
"A Shakespearean tragedy, a Gothic masterpiece, a medieval mosaic of human folly and wit—all deepening with each encounter, each reading layering over the last like sediment forming a deeper, richer soil."
I love this idea that each re-read isn’t only a new layer added to the pile of meanings found in a book, but each fresh discovery actually becomes part of what yields subsequent discoveries on later re-reads. Revelation begets revelation.
People ask me, “at your age, why do you care about all the stuff you read?” You, Mr. Rose, provide a partial explanation, not just for them, but for me. In reading your essays, I feel a subtle expanding of joy that begins somewhere and moves to the surface. It’s like the feeling I have when I realize I’m understanding another language without mentally translating it. I’ll have to think more deeply to try to explain it. To merely say, thank you, seems inadequate, but, thanks, anyway.
Great! Thank you for sharing - I'm a father of three and my youngest child now 12 and I have been reading classics together and they include a few you mention in your article which is great to see we are reading the right books - Many of the Agatha Christie and Shelly's Frankenstein. One of our favorites is CS Lewis the ScrewTape Letters and when he was younger Narnia but we just re-read that one because he was asked to read it for his CCD class. Right now we are reading MOBY DICK - that is a tough one to get through (the dialogue in that book doesn't exactly flow off the tongue). Finally, my son wanted to pick up the book JAWS, he's seen the movie about 15 times and one of his teachers suggested he read the book because she said "it's always better to read the book than watch the movie!" So based on your article I would agree we need to get our kids and even adults reading these classics again!
Fascinating, thanks.
Beautiful thoughts about truly great literature and WHY it is truly great.
As a 5th grade teacher, I've learned to see similar depth and stunningly wise meditations in the best of the best children's literature:
Chronicles of Prydain
Secret Garden
Anne of Green Gables
The Phantom Tollbooth
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Peter Pan
They never get old. The richness, complexity, and depth never cease to make me think.
The Chronicles of Prydain is a masterpiece! The growth that Taran experiences is so well done. I have read all the books you listed except Mrs. Frisby. And some of them more than once.
I re-read Animal Farm with adult eyes and it was a very edifying experience.
I did the same thing! Reading at 12 and at 22 — it was reading different books.
"A Shakespearean tragedy, a Gothic masterpiece, a medieval mosaic of human folly and wit—all deepening with each encounter, each reading layering over the last like sediment forming a deeper, richer soil."
I love this idea that each re-read isn’t only a new layer added to the pile of meanings found in a book, but each fresh discovery actually becomes part of what yields subsequent discoveries on later re-reads. Revelation begets revelation.
People ask me, “at your age, why do you care about all the stuff you read?” You, Mr. Rose, provide a partial explanation, not just for them, but for me. In reading your essays, I feel a subtle expanding of joy that begins somewhere and moves to the surface. It’s like the feeling I have when I realize I’m understanding another language without mentally translating it. I’ll have to think more deeply to try to explain it. To merely say, thank you, seems inadequate, but, thanks, anyway.