I'm in İzmir, Turkey, teaching The Odyssey (grade 9), the Iliad (grade 11) and having just taken my grade 12s to a Greek theater as a reward for completing Antigone-- in English Language and Literature classes. We're out here, loving teaching, and connecting a new generation with great works!
I agree man. Kids nowadays are doomed. And books are so important and many of them don’t want to read. I hate that as an author. Hopefully we can all do our parts to change this!
Thank you for this article. When rereading a classic, because I love these books so much, and desperately want others to love them too, I often forget to ask myself the question you mentioned: "What is Homer trying to teach me?" Instead, I jump to asking, "What can I teach others about Homer?" But the former question seems far more fruitful than the latter.
I got an English degree just before critical theory took over. I agree with much of what you write, but you’re neglecting what the rise of screens has done interest in reading. I also sense that you have a very narrow view of what constitutes a great book. Great authors like Joyce and Faulkner lived in the 20th century. Great poets like Du Fu and Bai Juyi lived in Tang dynasty China. Great philosophers like Nagarjuna and Tsonkhapa lived in South and Central Asia. Timeless and great books communicate what it means to be human, not what it means to be Western.
Thanks, Sean. I should have been more explicit. What I mean is, that if we want young people to start reading in a serious way, we need to expand the canon -- but not for ideological reasons. I believe the idea of "The West" became irrelevant the moment the Apollo astronauts took the Earthrise picture back in 1968. You can't really look at a picture of the Earth from space and not think that distinctions between humans are illogical -- we are all the same species living on the same planet sailing through an indifferent universe. You may believe in a loving God (and thus reject the idea of our insignificance), but faith doesn't counteract how the picture impacts us psychologically.
At any rate, the emphasis is on being human, not belonging to any specific culture, tribe, religion etc. Expanding the canon to include works from outside Europe and the Americas, would do this. Spend some time reading Du Fu, who wrote of a world coming apart just as ours seems to be, and you encounter a great artist who affirms our own human reactions to this very moment. In other words, expanding the canon is a way of catching up to where we are psychologically. Clinging to the idea of "The West," and the canon as it was when I went to university in the early 80's is to stay stuck in the past. I'm not arguing that we ditch Plato, but that we invite his peers from elsewhere in.
Indeed, we’re in agreement that universality is preferable to an unsound bias for particularity.
The issue is your first principles don’t necessitate expansion of canon, nor any “ought,” whatsoever. It’s but personal preference in a world of cosmic insignificance.
To begin reading by asking what the author is trying to teach is the right approach. It also helped me to ask what question the author was trying to answer too. This allowed me to see the author in context, as part of a larger and ongoing conversation, and helped me understand how I can enter into that discussion myself.
I'm in İzmir, Turkey, teaching The Odyssey (grade 9), the Iliad (grade 11) and having just taken my grade 12s to a Greek theater as a reward for completing Antigone-- in English Language and Literature classes. We're out here, loving teaching, and connecting a new generation with great works!
What an incredible education you’re giving them 👏
I’m so jealous I never had that growing up haha
I agree man. Kids nowadays are doomed. And books are so important and many of them don’t want to read. I hate that as an author. Hopefully we can all do our parts to change this!
You’re certainly leading the charge! 🫡💪
Thank you for this article. When rereading a classic, because I love these books so much, and desperately want others to love them too, I often forget to ask myself the question you mentioned: "What is Homer trying to teach me?" Instead, I jump to asking, "What can I teach others about Homer?" But the former question seems far more fruitful than the latter.
I got an English degree just before critical theory took over. I agree with much of what you write, but you’re neglecting what the rise of screens has done interest in reading. I also sense that you have a very narrow view of what constitutes a great book. Great authors like Joyce and Faulkner lived in the 20th century. Great poets like Du Fu and Bai Juyi lived in Tang dynasty China. Great philosophers like Nagarjuna and Tsonkhapa lived in South and Central Asia. Timeless and great books communicate what it means to be human, not what it means to be Western.
Of course there are great books outside of the western world.
But the formal phrase “The Great Books,” is specifically tied to the Western Canon; it’s not a matter of one’s personal views.
Thanks, Sean. I should have been more explicit. What I mean is, that if we want young people to start reading in a serious way, we need to expand the canon -- but not for ideological reasons. I believe the idea of "The West" became irrelevant the moment the Apollo astronauts took the Earthrise picture back in 1968. You can't really look at a picture of the Earth from space and not think that distinctions between humans are illogical -- we are all the same species living on the same planet sailing through an indifferent universe. You may believe in a loving God (and thus reject the idea of our insignificance), but faith doesn't counteract how the picture impacts us psychologically.
At any rate, the emphasis is on being human, not belonging to any specific culture, tribe, religion etc. Expanding the canon to include works from outside Europe and the Americas, would do this. Spend some time reading Du Fu, who wrote of a world coming apart just as ours seems to be, and you encounter a great artist who affirms our own human reactions to this very moment. In other words, expanding the canon is a way of catching up to where we are psychologically. Clinging to the idea of "The West," and the canon as it was when I went to university in the early 80's is to stay stuck in the past. I'm not arguing that we ditch Plato, but that we invite his peers from elsewhere in.
Indeed, we’re in agreement that universality is preferable to an unsound bias for particularity.
The issue is your first principles don’t necessitate expansion of canon, nor any “ought,” whatsoever. It’s but personal preference in a world of cosmic insignificance.
To begin reading by asking what the author is trying to teach is the right approach. It also helped me to ask what question the author was trying to answer too. This allowed me to see the author in context, as part of a larger and ongoing conversation, and helped me understand how I can enter into that discussion myself.