Why I Read the Classics

Classics Club Meme for October: Why am I reading the classics?

I am reading the classics because I want to get the education that I never had.

As a homeschool mom, I have read numerous resources over the years from The Well-Trained Mind to MemoriaPress to Classical Christian Homeschool online, and I am convinced that a classical education is beneficial to preserving Western Civilization or at least to giving one an historical compass of his or her own personal story.

When I was a student, I was only required to read a few classic titles, but in high school and even college there was an enormous lull in great literature.  So when I began homeschooling in the classical way, a new interest was awakened in me: I wanted to read the great books of Western Civilization for myself.  I decided to read and follow the list from Susan Wise Bauer’s The Well-Educated Mind. 

Reading the classics, especially chronologically, helps develop the story about civilization, culture, history, and the condition of man and humanity.  We don’t need textbooks.  We can get all the information about the world from the classics!