The Importance of Reading Classics

Professor Jeffrey Brenzel talks about what to read and why in his classical education speech. Brenzel is a teacher at Yale University. He believes that life is short and there are millions of books to read, so what people are reading becomes important.

While Brenzel doesn't believe that new works aren't worth reading, he claims that there are certain classical novels that have the potential to change and improve one's life. Brenzel also claims that college is the right time to do this important reading. He outlines what makes a book a classic, as well as what makes it worth reading. Brenzel says that classics are typically old and challenging to read. They often take on big ideas that haven't been tackled before.

Brenzel urges individuals to think about what they're reading because nobody can read every book ever written and some books can educate people and change their perspectives.