periphrasistic t1_j5i21wv wrote on January 23, 2023 at 3:32 AM

Reply to comment by albertnormandy in Any tips to make reading classics easier for a non-native speaker? by [deleted]

Talk about a self limiting attitude. I’m trying to imagine a life being a prisoner of the moment in history when you happened to be born, unable to venture outside it because the culture of other eras is “boring” and “tedious” and “archaic”. Seems like a pretty menial existence. You do you, I guess.

albertnormandy t1_j5l7u6n wrote on January 23, 2023 at 8:15 PM

I’ve read plenty of old books. The fact that they’re old doesn’t make them “good”. Sometimes you just don’t feel like slogging through old writing.

periphrasistic t1_j5lch58 wrote on January 23, 2023 at 8:44 PM

The vast majority of published material doesn’t stay in print. The stuff from centuries past that is still readily available, actively discussed and referenced, and still exerting influence on our culture are not doing so because of their age but in spite of their age. Time has a great filtering effect. You’re not obligated to like, for example, Moby Dick, but if you think people still talk about it only because it’s old, then you have things precisely backwards. Which is why it’s worth putting in the effort to learn to read books that otherwise seem archaic and strange: the only reason you’re aware of their existence is because so many people over so many generations have continued to find something of value there.