What About Literature

Why do our students still need a grounding in literature in this ultra-technological age? The answer is pretty simple: understanding human nature is a skill that never loses value. Literature is the study of history, culture, language, politics, and so much more. While I would never argue that the hard sciences are somehow less important than humanities, what is reason and logic without investigating the motives and processes of the human race?

There is something out there in the canon for everyone. Authors like Shakespeare and Chaucer are just as accessible now as they ever were. The fear of the work of reading and understanding is no excuse for bypassing a book. The great men and women of the past understood this -- an education was not complete without dissecting the classics.

People, as a species, have not changed much in the few thousand years we've been around. We still look for God. Men and women still seek, and screw up, love. The search for meaning in life is universal and timeless. Examining how these questions have been proposed and answered is a great step towards finding your own answers.

And the truth is, there is something for everyone. Like dirty jokes and "low" humor? Read Shakespeare or any of the fabliaux of the Middle Ages. Are you a smarty-pants who enjoys a good turn at someone else's expense? Check out Jonathan Swift, he will crack you up. And Chaucer, what can I say but that he proves people have not changed a heck of a lot since the days of knights and ladies. The effects and destruction of war are part and parcel of TS Eliot. Edith Wharton can give a still-relevant witness's view of exactly how different the rich really are.

The point is, ignoring humanity's attempts to understand itself leads to displacement and disenfranchisement. And one cannot forget that old cliche about those who ignore the past being doomed to repeat it. So, go ahead -- give our students top notch technology and cutting edge science. But please, remember that the humanities and literature are central to humanity itself. Oh, and get out there and read a book!