It’s Not Too Late to Start Reading the Great Books
Your reading life is finite. Make it count.
It’s annoying isn’t it. That copy of Moby Dick you purchased 20 years ago. It just sits on your shelf mocking you. You know you should read it. It’s one of the greats. But it’s hard to find time. It might even be hard to understand. Will it even relate to your life? Who decided to include Moby Dick on the Great Books list?
I wish I had started reading The Great Books as a teenager. I dabbled but didn’t get serious about it until I was 43 years old. I’m now on a quest to read 200+ of those books in chronological order over the next 15 years. I came to a point where I didn’t want to die not having read The Great Books.
It’s not too late to start. In fact, starting now will lead to the most enjoyable reading of your life.
Ideas on How to Get Started:
The Great Books are accessible. They are meaningful. They can be challenging, but they are also presenting some of the greatest ideas of mankind. You don’t need to read them at a college. You can read them on your own. You can also join reading groups to help you along. Tools and lists are plentiful. Now make the decision to shift your reading life.
Determine a Time Frame
How long would you like to pursue The Great Books? I originally thought my list would take 10 years. As I’ve started reading, I’ve realized it will likely take closer to 15 years for the books I want to include.
Select the Great Books
Great Books lists abound. Here’s mine. Based upon your chosen timeframe, select a number of books to read during that time. For one year, you can probably select 12. For five years, go for 50. Ten years, 125. You want to allow enough time to understand the work, possibly read it twice, and read other material.
Determine a Reading Order
My suggestion is to place them in chronological order as you’ll be able to see the trajectory of ideas. It’s really neat to see the Mesopotamian literature describe the deluge story and compare that to Noah’s story in Genesis. It’s incredible to watch Homer introduce ideas, the Greek Tragedians expand on them, and the Greek philosophers debate them. The progression of ideas is one of the most exciting parts of The Great Books. They are oftentimes referred to as The Great Conversation as these works are communicating with one another.
The more Great Books you read, the deeper you’ll be in the conversation. You are not presented with the exact thoughts to think but rather are shown different ways to think. You’ll learn the origin of words. Museums will become a delight as you learn the backstories of paintings, sculptures, and ancient lands. You’ll find yourself comparing Neoptolemus to Odysseus while you wait in line.
An exciting adventure awaits in The Great Books. You are not too old to start. Your life has simply been a preparation for you to start right now.
I have another piece of advice. Audiobooks for classics and especially those that were not to be read but listened to. I just finished Iliad in the newest translation by Caroline Alexander and brilliantly narrated as an audiobook and it was amazing.
I love this. I've been working through a list for a long time now, and it always feels great when I've finished one book and off to the next. The only trick for me is to not get too caught up in "finishing" or "checking off" aspect of it, but actually to relax and enjoy what's before me at each moment. The magic is not in the list itself. The magic is what's before you.
Thank you!