July 9, 2015 - Classics

When I sat down to write this, it was just coming up to 2 p.m. on July 3rd which put me in mind of that great turning point in the Civil War –152 years ago—when Pickett was about to make that failed charge at the Union lines which would end the hopes of the South. Pickett’s charge put me in mind of the William Faulkner passage from “Intruder in the Dust” : "For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o’clock on that July afternoon in 1863, the brigades are in position behind the rail fence, the guns are laid and ready in the woods and the furled flags are already loosened to break out and Pickett himself with his long oiled ringlets and his hat in one hand probably and his sword in the other looking up the hill waiting for Longstreet to give the word and it's all in the balance, it hasn't happened yet, it hasn't even begun yet, it not only hasn't begun yet but there is still time for it not to begin …” Faulkner was writing in 1948 and sixty-seven years later, I imagine, this is still true for some. It’s hard to remember sometimes that the Civil War, this Battle of Gettysburg took place during the 87th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and that Faulkner wrote his tome only 85 years after Pickett’s Charge and that history is alive and playing itself out in current times. One of the things that great literature does is connect us to the past and the present. It illuminates the present in terms of the past and the past in light of the present. Which is why we should read the classics. Well, enough of that. By the way, we do have many, many classics in the library. And while I’m sure you’ll enjoy the books listed below, I don’t think any in this batch will achieve the status of “classic”. Classics are like rich desserts; a little goes a long way and leaves you hungry for more. The lighter fare below however, is perfect for summer reading. Enjoy!