Five ways to engage with the classics this summer
And our final days of merch pre-orders are here!
Today marks the official calendar start of the summer season, and we’re kicking it off Novel Pairings style by sharing tips and ideas for enhancing your classic (and contemporary) reading this summer. Over at Novel Pairings we are all about being critical readers in our everyday lives—beyond the hallowed halls of secondary and collegiate education. You’ll hear us use the phrase “public scholarship” to describe this free and friendly method for digging deeper in our reading lives and engaging with fellow readers. We’ll share five ways to partake in public scholarship this summer. But first…
Snag Your Swag from our Online Shop!
We are down to our final two days for merch pre-orders! If you’ve been eyeing our limited edition Novel Pairings branded gear, now is the time to procure. This merch drop includes everything you need for a leisurely summer adventure including short-sleeve tees, baseball caps, and a jumbo size tote that will fit your books, towel, and summer snacks all in one. And for all our mythology fans, we have a special screen printed “Mythology Girl” t-shirt.
Ordering is available in our online shop until June 21st, so make sure to snag your swag. International shipping is available.
Engaging with the Classics in a Contemporary World
We love the feeling of finishing a classic text, but sometimes we want more out of the experience. It’s why we love reading together with our listeners each month and discussing books on the podcast. Engaging with the classics goes beyond simple comprehension. Here’s a short list of ideas for expanding our engagement with the classics—not prescriptive to any particular book, we hope this list inspires your reading adventures with any classic text.
1. Use different editions for contextual additions.
Publishing houses reinvent classic texts for marketing in a variety of ways—including visually stunning packaging—but what lies between the gorgeous covers of a book can also make an edition particularly appealing. Depending on the edition, you may find helpful forwards by literary critics, a preface or author’s note giving a statement about the work, and some answers to big questions that may arise when reading. Other works use introductions to set a framework for the reader to undertake when encountering a text, and we strongly recommend our beloved Norton Critical Editions for helpful annotations and critical essays that illuminate classic works.
2. Write down your reflections and questions.
One of the best parts of our slow down summer at Novel Pairings is getting a chance to linger with a text and process the work at a different pace. In addition to slowing down our own reading, it’s also great to write down ideas and themes you notice as well as any questions that arise. Whether they live in a reading journal, the marginalia of your book, or on the title page—it’s nice to be able to go back and recall all your thoughts for personal use or discussion with others.
3. Find connection with the fine and performing arts.
Whether it’s a trip to an art exhibition or grabbing tickets to local community theater, finding meaningful connections within the fine and performing arts is another great way to deepen your understanding of a classic work. Recently read an Edith Wharton novel? Complement the experience with a local or online exhibition of 19th century art. Any Shakespeare play can be enhanced with a live community production of Shakespeare in the Park, a favorite summertime tradition in many small towns and big cities. Art is always in conversation, no matter the medium—and getting out to see it is a lovely way to support your community.
4. Access journal articles & scholarly works like you’re still in college.
If you’ve been around the pod, you know we love to share a scholarly article or two we found through JSTOR. What we particularly love about this highly trusted and reliable source is that you can access up to 100 articles for free through their site—no student ID required. And let’s say you do find an article or book of criticism that you wouldn’t typically find at your local public library…speak with your librarian about an InterLibrary loan request. Many libraries are able to request titles from other libraries, including colleges and universities, for books and access to single articles of particular interest.
5. Engage in local public scholarship.
It’s true that college-sponsored events keep traditionally enrolled students in mind when planning, but many local schools also offer events to the public. Plus, many times they are accessible for nominal fees or free of charge! Your local public library and humanities council is another place to look for educational programs that will provide scholarly opportunities. Check out what resources are available in your area and grab a fellow nerdy bookworm for a fun night out.
Join the friendliest English class on the Internet!
It’s never too late to join us for an epic summer of reading and conversation over on Patreon. Last week we talked all about accessing allusions from ancient mythology in our reading, and access to our class is available as a recorded session on our page. There is still plenty ahead on our events calendar this summer that you don’t want to miss, including our first book club discussion of The Odyssey on June 28th at 7 PM EST.
We’d love to see you in our nerdy crew on Patreon as we think deeply about what The Odyssey has to say about our current moment in time. Plus, be in the know for what’s on the syllabus next semester. We hope to see you in class.
Thank you for supporting the podcast and our work to make public scholarship fun and accessible. If you would like you stay connected to what’s happening at Novel Pairings, make sure to sign up for our Substack and follow us over on Instagram. You can make sure you never miss an episode of the podcast by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts. And if you love the work we’re doing, make sure to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!