Reading Has Ripple Effects
Written by Marcie Stokman, Well-Read Mom Founder and President
An excerpt taken from her book, The Well-Read Mom: Read more. Read well.
People don’t read classic literature as much as they used to.
Is this a problem? I think it is. These books are full of wisdom and insight. Of course new books have a lot to offer as well, but they can’t replace the great old books.
What can be done?
The best solution is a slow one: read. Reading, especially reading with others, may cause surprising and good ripple effects in our communities.
The Classics are an Endangered Species
In an article entitled, “The Necessity of the Classics,” critic Louise Cowan writes,
We have begun to see a world in which the classics have virtually disappeared. . .For a while we may get by on the echoes of their past glory; but when they finally have become perfectly silent, what sort of world shall we inhabit? To lose the classics is to lose a long heritage of wisdom concerning human nature, something not likely to be acquired again. Yet most college curricula now remain sadly untouched by their august presence, or at best make a gesture in their direction with a few samplings for select students. Such neglect is one of the most serious threats our society faces today.
The saying is true: “Out of sight, out of mind.” When an author such as Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset falls out of sight and off almost all college reading lists, we have a problem. We don’t know what has been left behind, and most of the time we don’t know that we don’t know. Quietly, one by one, the great books can drop off lists and be lost from our sight. We can lose what is beautiful and true and restorative for our age.
In answer to the question, Why should we read old books? C. S. Lewis explains: “Every age has its own outlook. It is especially good at seeing certain truths and especially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books.”
Old books give us perspective and insight. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” George Santayana famously said.
We cannot let ourselves be fooled into thinking that these great works are being preserved for us and for the future just because they are easily accessible online. This is not how great books become or remain integrated in our tradition. The only way to preserve what has been given to us through great literature is to partake of it ourselves.
This is the first step. It is a starting point for us to begin a renewal of culture together. It may seem like a small step, but small steps matter. We can’t give what we don’t have. Book by book, our imaginations are formed in ways that help us effectively interact with our families and our communities.
“Democracy requires engaged and informed citizens,” says Dana Gioia, former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, “and the best way I know of creating and sustaining those citizens is through reading. Reading is not escapism, it is an invitation to activism. If we are serious about the future of a free society, we need to be serious about reading.” Isn’t this what we want? Citizens who are alive enough to see and participate in transforming their communities for the better!
When ordinary people commit to the regular reading of great books, they can be spurred on and inspired to live lives of greatness.
Dorothy Day returned to the novels of Dickens, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky again and again. Reading these authors helped Day say yes to her life’s work with the poor. Day was a woman of deep Christian faith. Daily Mass and prayer nourished her, but so did her reading. It helped her mature and grow in her understanding that her life was to be given for something great. Rereading great books helped her continually grow in her capacity for greatness.
Pope John Paul II was similar. He recalled being “completely consumed by a passion for literature” in his youth.
Martin Luther King Jr. read Ghandi. Ghandi read Tolstoy and was so impressed by his book The Gospel in Brief that he wrote in his autobiography that it opened his vision to the “infinite possibilities of universal love.”
All these leaders were exceptional in their understanding of the human condition. Their actions changed the world. Reading awakened their humanity and spurred them toward cultural engagement, and it can do the same for us.
Which books have given you clues to your calling? Which characters show you what it means to live with courage and faith? These are books to return to regularly.
I once met a man who told me that for a season of his life he reread The Hammer of God, by Arthur C. Clark, annually. I heard of a woman who reads Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis every year. A friend of mine taught a literature class for which The Brothers Karamazov was on the syllabus. Despite the novel’s size, she reread the whole thing each year because she found it so life-giving. Are there certain books on your shelf that are asking to be read again? Perhaps these books are instruments God is using to shape your life and direct your engagement with the culture.
About Marcie Stockman
Marcie Stokman, M.A., is founder and president of Well-Read Mom, an international movement and book club. As a former clinical nurse practitioner in mental health and longtime homeschooler, she writes and speaks to encourage women and share the power of reading. She and her husband, Peter, have seven children and 20 grandchildren. Marcie is the author of The Well-Read Mom: Read more. Read well.
About Well-Read Mom
In Well-Read Mom, women read more and read well. Our hope is to deepen the awareness of meaning hidden in each woman’s daily life, elevate the cultural conversation, and revitalize reading literature from books. If you would like to have us help you select worthy reading material, we invite you to join and read along with us. We are better together! For information on how to start or join a Well-Read Mom group visit our website wellreadmom.com
