In this podcast we consider the question: Why should we read the classics? Using Homer's Iliad as our compass, we explore how classic literature can help us transcend our own lives to engage in the grand meta narrative of history. Chelsia discusses that what makes a classic a classic isn't necessarily the poetic or literary brilliance of a work, but its ability to timelessly strike at the very marrow of what it means to be human. She then goes on to consider how literature is soul-forming, why it's particularly worth reading in the world in which we live today, and the reasons old books are worth reading simply because they're old.   

Quotes:

"The [Iliad] strikes at the very marrow of what it means to be human. The soul, forced to transcend from the confines of a single little life and see itself within the great expanse of history, longs, if only for a moment, to incarnate the greatest of what it means to be human. The Iliad is great not because it is imagination stirring, but because it is, at its most fundamental level, soul-forming. "

"We do profound damage when we treat as though it does not exist the part of ourselves which most fundamentally underpins our existence. Our souls will be formed whether we acknowledge them or not; the question is merely how. "

"The stories of others are valuable on their own merits, regardless of whether or not they add explicit benefit to my own life, because they relentlessly remind me of shared humanity amidst striking difference."

"Why, then, should we read the classics? In a word, because we are human. Because we have the same questions and curiosities of those who have preceded us and, indeed, of those who will follow after us. Because our stories are not the only stories that matters, and because it is important to transcend our little lives and dare, if only for a moment, to embody the greatest of what it means to be human—justice, courage, wisdom, charity. Because the things that matter most are the things that have always mattered the most. And, perhaps most importantly, because our souls will be formed—whether intentionally or carelessly—and because we are the charioteers who guide them."

Want more? Check our our this post on our blog: 

• 7 Reasons You Should Read the Classics

Inspired to read the Iliad? Get your copy here: 

• The Iliad, Homer

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