Classics Aren’t My Thing, and That’s Okay
Unfortunately, reader shaming is real, but I am going to read what I want — and so should you
Readers have preferences. Most of us know what we like, what we don’t like, what we are desperate to pick up and books we want to avoid. Time is precious, and I want to enjoy everything I read. Of course, this is a bit of a pipe dream, but I am never going to pick up something I anticipate not liking. This, for the most part, includes classics.
I once watched a YouTube video, in which it was mentioned that most readers have “their classic” they are known for loving and are associated with. Granted, this was mostly within the context of the online book community but it made the gears churn a little bit. What would my classic be? Should I have a classic? Why can’t I think of a classic that can be associated with me? I’m not a proper reader because I don’t have a classic!
After a five-minute thought spiral about how much of a fraud I am as a fake reader, I realised, I don’t enjoy classics, so why should I have to claim one? The answer is I don’t have to have “my classic” or enjoy them at all for that matter, and here’s why.
My Relationship (or lack of) With Classics
Classics have formed what we know literature to be today, and for that, I can appreciate them. Romance would not be where it is without Jane Austen and dystopia would not be as prolific without George Orwell, so we can safely say they serve a purpose.
That said, no matter how many times a “Top 50 books to read before you die” list full of classics comes to my attention, I am not convinced to read them, and I am probably not going to be swayed by the next list either. Telling me “I haven’t found the right classic” also isn’t going to work unfortunately because although I don’t doubt you are probably right, I’m unlikely to spend time looking for the golden nugget amongst classics when I can read something modern that I’m more inclined to love.
It is worth noting before we go any further that I am not disinterested in all classics. Modern classics definitely do appeal to me, with authors such as George Orwell, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Toni Morrison and Christopher Isherwood being on my to-be-read list, so I suppose it can be said that my distaste for classics refers to the older works; Austen, the Brontë Sisters, Charles Dickens, and so on.
A few months ago, I found a deal online for the Penguin English Library classics, and I had to buy some. If you’re not familiar with these editions, look them up (after you’ve finished reading this) and tell me you wouldn’t want them on your shelf. I dare you.
In hindsight though, it was not the smartest purchase, as they ended up gathering dust and eventually sent away in a box amid a declutter. At the time I wanted to read them, but further down the line, I became more in tune with what I like to read, and accepted they were never going to be read. It was a step in the right direction for me, and weirdly I felt like I was gaining my independence as a reader or defying the norm in some way.
I haven’t read much in the grand scheme of things, but I have read enough to know what appeals to me. I know romance is not my thing (sorry Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy), and historical settings often don’t grab my attention (sorry any authors not writing in the present day) but this is just my preference. I want excitement and thrills and adventure and magic. The prospect of reading The Count of Monte Cristo doesn’t offer that, to pluck a random example out of thin air.
Again, that’s not to say classics are universally boring, this is just a personal preference. In looking for magic I’m going to seek out Magical Realism, my favourite genre, and for thrills, I would gravitate towards a Thriller (wait, Thrillers are thrilling? Who knew?) and I doubt for me classics would ever fit into this.
Why Is Avoiding Classics Shameful?
I think a lot of the disapproval comes from the popularity attached to them. Millions of people have read classics to the point where they are the most famous books of all time, with more recent classics like Harry Potter, The Book Thief and Normal People slowly joining those ranks.
Outwardly showing a reluctance to read classics almost discredits all those who have been before you, who have read and loved the book you now refuse to read. The sheer number of fans who consistently praise these novels speaks for itself. If that many people adore a book I am not interested in, then that makes me the odd one out, right? I’m the anomaly. Some would say I’m wrong.
Reader shaming and elitism is very real, and ridicule for disinterest in classics is only one of the ways I have experienced it first-hand. Whether it’s being told I am too old for Young Adult or that Fantasy isn’t intellectual enough, or a personal favourite moment, the time I was told fiction as a whole “kills brain cells only non-fiction can restore”, people are very quick to judge what we read and I’m sick of it.
But despite this, I can assure you I don’t want to discredit all those who have loved the greats of literature, nor am I going to judge those who do want to read them, I just won’t be joining you.
I Hate to Break It To You, But I’m Going to Read What I Want
I imagine most reading this will either agree with my perspective or claim I am completely ignorant and honestly, I see where you are coming from. However, I am allowed to read what I want, and this is a mantra I carry with me whenever I engage with other readers. The notion of being ‘well-read’ is inherently elitist, no matter how it is perceived.
Mostly this is used to describe those who have read a large number of the greatest works of all time that I tend to neglect, or who has read the most, full stop. Either way, it creates a hierarchy where some believe to be better than others, and if like me, you read purely for enjoyment, then that shouldn’t be on your mind when choosing what to read.
Everyone under the sun has a favourite genre, a list of likes and dislikes, and not wanting to read classics is no different to any other preferences. Of course, it is a little more drastic than most because of the sheer quantity of material falling into this category, but it still stands.
There is definitely more to highlight when it comes to reader shaming because it’s a very real issue. I long for a day when we can all read in peace, enjoying what we want, free of judgement.
I don’t want to read classics, and that’s okay. Just let me live, and let me read.
