Why I Love BookRiot, and Also the Classics

... and also Dead White Guys: An Irreverent Guide to Classic Literature:

"The classics are not irrelevant. They offer insight into our shared past- they show us how far we’ve come and, at the same time, how humanity has hung on to certain aspects of itself throughout civilization’s recorded history. The classics have shaped the course of literature, outlasted literary fads, and added value to the whole of human thought. Assuming that the modern reader doesn’t want to experience that (or worse, that they can’t because it involves too much effort) is unfair. Readers don’t need profanity and iPods to understand themes concerning racism, poverty, compassion, love, and family. Do we really think the modern reader is so lazy that s/he can’t read the classics because they’re too hard?"

From the BookRiot post Riot Response: In Defense of the Classics, which is absolutely worth reading in full.