reviewing EVERY classic I’ve read, ONE SENTENCE each.

English or after four vodkas. Now I have a few things to say at the end of this. Um... one, if you've ever felt or been made to feel in... I can't even say the word inadequate. That's how inadequate I am. If you've ever been made to feel inadequate because you haven't

read

a certain book or a certain

classic

... screw those people. Like what the fuck. Um... I think history is something that's really important to know. but we have to admit it's incredibly masculine, pale and stale for the most part, with a few white women showing up in there.

So if you're someone who

read

s for fun and you don't find that fun and you're also not interested in reading the historical context and you don't have the energy for that... I don't blame you. you. There are people who... like people's work to learn about this and know about this. Importantly, if you commission new writing or are a writer, I think it's important to know what has been done before and what has influenced the people you've read. but... but if you just want to have some fun here and reading is a hobby for you, I personally want to free you from the feeling of having to have read the

classic

s.

If it doesn't bring you joy, quit immediately. However, the classics you hear about most often may not be the classics you enjoy the most. and I'd hate for you to miss out on some interesting things just because you were forced to read really boring things in school. and I also think that this idea of ​​a classic is something that has stood the test of time... it has a slight weird bias because we know with real life objects that we can hold in our hands that things that stand the test of time They are often things that have been best wrapped in preservative paper. some books were embalmed like fucking jolly emperors slashing suspicious dictators, and other books were used as confetti.

There's also defending the canon and the classics by saying, 'well, they were the ones

every

one else was reading at the time.' They are the most important, so we have to read them to understand the time.' and that is not always the case. the gift of hindsight does not always... that is not a common thread of truth. 'moby dick' was not popular at all in its time. No one, while Melville was alive, really cared or knew who he was. like he was completely rejected, so we can't really learn anything about his time from reading 'moby dick', but we can learn other things.

That's a video for another day. Especially because now that you've seen my list you know I haven't read it. or they were considered frivolous like jane austen, but now they are boastful readings. things that are very intellectual when in their day they were quite vulgar. So maybe the classics you would have loved have been forgotten because they were frivolous, written by people without money, or not printed at all. perhaps the people who would have written the classics you would have loved were still illiterate due to social and economic depravity. So when you feel like you're missing out on something by not reading classic books, I want to reiterate that we're all missing out.

Chances are, most of the most talented voices of

each

era have not been able to rise to the top and have the opportunity to write their future classics. They didn't arise, and if they did arise, they were almost certainly not preserved, so when you feel like you're missing something, remember that

every

one is. So if you want to read classics then knowing that is incredibly important, but I was also reading this book recently... which is going really well by the way, I love it. but there was a quote I had to write down and it said, "it is tradition that the English embrace, not history." And I think when we think about... so if I think about myself as an Englishman and I live in this country called England, it has a lot of traditions around it and that's based on history.

The classics are part of that history, and if we don't read that history and know a lot about it, we don't have much of a chance of understanding the traditions we live in today. And I think that, if you're in charge of something that executes the tradition and you don't know the history behind it, I think that's a little irresponsible. That's when I think these classics become invaluable. not because, in themselves, they are masterpieces, but because they can unlock new things about how we treat the present and the future. So if you want to read the classic literature books, that little fragmented part of history, approach them with a critical eye in your back pocket just in case... but enjoy it.

Some things are really cool. Not all. but some of it is really cool. but if you don't, that's totally fine... um... I think what's more important and more urgent is to start reading the voices around us right now. to ensure that the best rise to the top, that they emerge and are preserved. I appreciate the books that are coming out right now that could be the next classics. and those you really love... encourage them. support them. pay for them. review them. shout over them. The next two books on my tbr classics are: 'passing' by nella larson and 'grapes of wrath'. but I also asked you on Instagram: if you have read some classics, which ones are really worth it? and  the top answers were: “pride and prejudice.” 'Jane Eyre'. 'Frankenstein'. 'Rebeca'. and '1984'. so do with that what you want.

Let me know if you want to read more classics or some good classics you've read in the comments below. If you'd like to see more book videos, you'll find some here. If you fancy a change, there's some of that here. Many thanks to the Gumption Club for making these videos possible. keep reading. frog kiss