The essay "Why Read the Classics" has many statements about classics. In fact there are fourteen statements about the classics. This can confuse the reader and make it hard for them to come up with the thesis. Therefore I have come up with my own thesis. I found the thesis of the essay is classical literature is meant to affect our lives and help us (the readers) understand the classics and relate them to our daily lives. The experiences in the classic novels help readers find themselves and reach goals. On page nine the author states, "classics help us understand who we are and points we have reached." (Calvino 9) This quote is saying classics help make us who we are. The stories in certain novels effect our lives in great ways. they give us goals and dreams and they define are personalities.
The thesis in "Why Read the Classics" is implicit, The thesis is not stated in words but is written "in-between the lines." The thesis in this essay reflects the title and point of the essay. A good thing about an implicit thesis is the reader can make his or her own thesis using the main points of the essay.
Calvino, Italo. "Why Read the Classics." The Uses of Literature. New York: Vintage Books, 1999
Do you think Calvino and Nabokov would agree on the reasons for reading?
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