Lesson #1

As this is the first post, I'm going to begin with a very general topic. As I said in my introductory post, I'm endeavoring to show that classic lit isn't obsolete---it has real life applications and can be interesting and even (dare I say it) exciting (crazy idea, right?!!). Without further ado, here are some tips from classic lit on

Living an Enjoyable Life

Our first quote with regard to "Living an Enjoyable Life" is from Mansfield Park, a novel by one of my favorite authors, Jane Austen. 

Alright, so breaking this down a bit, we find there are two parts: the first, "Run mad as often as you choose" tells the reader to enjoy their life (the extent to which is up to your own discretion), and the second half is more cautionary. The piece, "...but do not faint" warns the reader against going overboard, having too much fun, or being too wild. In Austen's time, an overabundance of fun resulted in a tired and broke individual, with a bad reputation of wildness that prevented them from finding work and thus climbing out of their debt. In today's time, the situation isn't as drastic, as we seem to care less reputation, so a new job would be more easily found. Today, if someone were to have "too much fun" and become burdened with debt, the results are still devastating---a large amount of debt can ultimately result in extreme poverty. In both today's modern consequences and Austen's time, the results of having "too much fun", the "faint" as the quote puts it, leave the individual in an uncomfortable, if not miserable state.

In researching this topic and finding the above quote, I stumbled across another one of my favorites, and after finding that it didn't fit any of the categories I wanted to address, decided I'd include it in this post. This particular quote addresses how we speak, and how others speak. This quote really struck me; I found it relevant to many real life situations and so here it is:

Just think about that for a minute. Let it process for a bit..........Alright, if you're done processing, here's what I thought about it: Think about what happens when a politician or celebrity says something that is offensive or surprising (in a bad way). (Think of events such as this and this) The incident gets blown up and is all over the news, radio, TV, etc. As Collins points out, our words become "giants". However, when we say something to our credit, the media shrugs as if to say, "Yeah, I guess that was nice. But its not juicy, its not important, its not BIG. Can you get me something more.....scandalous?". Collins' lesson here is to watch what you say---think before you speak---so that you aren't hurt by the giants you create.

I hope these "lessons" were helpful for you; I tried to find a few really basic, general, and yet thought provoking quotes to ease into this. Next week, I'm planning on talking about how classic lit is relevant with regard to virtues, vices, and other characteristics. I have a few quotes already picked out and I'm sure I can find a few more. If, at any time, you think of a suggestion for me---something you want me to find, something you want me to relate to real life or explain, PLEASE comment it somewhere or email me. That'd be great :) I'm doing this to help you and to come to a greater realization of the importance of classic lit. Hopefully, others will see this and help make classic lit interesting for their friends and students as well.

Thanks and Enjoy!

Claire