Does Literature Really Affect Your Life?
Since I was a little girl, I have loved to read. Reading brings me enjoyment as I grow and learn while simultaneously escaping to another world. I have a degree in English from Texas A&M University; therefore, I have dedicated years to the study of literature. I have grown to love fiction as well as non-fiction works.
So many home school programs depend on reading classic literature. The Charlotte Mason method, Thomas Jefferson Education, Sonlight, Tapestry of Grace, My Father’s World, etc. all include large amounts of great literature. But why? Does literature really affect your life?
Of course, the Bible affects your life. You can apply its lessons about failure, sin, victory, and redemption to your own life. You can learn from other’s mistakes. Reading the Bible can literally change the course of your life, but I don’t want to focus on Biblical lessons and truths in this article. I think most people would agree that the Bible can affect your life. But what about other literature?
Let me tell you a story. I will keep it as brief as possible. I was in a horrendous car accident and immediately knew that my arms and leg were broken. I was in pain waiting for the paramedics to arrive, but trying to stay calm. The book, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles kept running through my mind. In it the character Phineas breaks his leg. He falls down some stairs in another unrelated accident and dies from bone marrow entering his blood stream.
Sitting in my totaled vehicle, all I could think about was being moved by the paramedics. Before they touched me, I kept telling them to watch my leg. I even went so far to explain my fear. They assured me that they would be careful.
Obviously I did not die from bone marrow entering my bloodstream, but because of the book I was aware of the possibility. I did not solely rely on the paramedics’ training; I tried to do what I could to avoid an even more tragic end.
The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder greatly affected my life. I have read them so many times that the books are falling apart. As I said in my very first article, identifying with Laura Ingalls has a great deal to do with my choice to live on a modern homestead today. I loved the closeness of the Ingalls family. I loved how self-sufficient they were. I appreciated their work ethic and principles. These are all goals that my husband and I set for our own family.
When Hester Prynne is forced to wear a red “A” as a consequence for her sin in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlett Letter, it created such a visual experience for me as a lesson not to judge others. We all sin and as soon as you focus on the sins of others you lose sight on your own. You become blinded to your own faults and iniquities. It is a visual lesson that I still carry with me today.
I could go on and on because literature has greatly affected my life and who I am today. William Ellery Channing said, “It is cheifly through books that we enjoy intercourse with superior minds…In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours.” John Erickson, the author of Hank the Cowdog, said something to the effect that authors should tell powerful stories. “Stories that leave the reader better than before they read them.”
Oliver DeMille lists several reasons for reading classic literature. “The classics teach us human nature.” We gain insight into basic human instincts and behavior. “The classics bring us face-to-face with greatness.” He goes on to explain that “the purpose of studying literature is to become better.” “The classics force us to think.” As we read great literature, we wrestle with the struggles, we seek to understand, we discover new possibilities, and we reconsider our perspective. As we think, we grow as a person.
So, I conclude that literature does affect your life. It can make you a stronger, better person. It can help you in times of crisis. It can inspire you to begin down a certain path in life. It can teach you lessons that you will carry with you the rest of your life. Therefore, you must choose what you read carefully.
I am not a proponent of as long as your child is reading who cares what they are reading. I personally know the affect literature has in shaping a person. I do not want to expose my children to literature that will taint their perspective. Therefore, literature where evil is perceived as good or good as evil is not acceptable in my household.
As you begin your school year, there are lots of lists of great classic literature. Flip through just about any home school curriculum catalog for titles. In the back of the Thomas Jefferson Education books, there are several different lists. I found this one by just searching online, 100 Best Books. Give your child the gift of great literature whether you read it to him/her or he/she reads it alone. It will affect his/her life.
