By Pierce Taylor Hibbs
04.27.2023 | Min Read

“Classics are classics for a reason.” That sentiment has been with me for many years. The more classics I read, the easier it is to repeat the sentence. You’ll find plenty of people who tell you to read the classics, but fewer who articulate why you should read them, beyond the passionate claim that “they’re just so good.” 

Why should we be reading these to our kids? How will they benefit? How will we benefit? Here are some things to consider.

What’s a Classic?


Let me start by trying to suggest what a classic is. I’m starting here because the features and themes of classic stories will appear in contemporary ones, which will help you select and treasure today’s stories as well as yesterday’s. In other words, if you can grasp what makes a story a classic, you can start spotting future classics on your own, which is exciting.

Mark Wollacott offers a concise definition, though he admits that defining classic literature is no easy task. “Classic literature is a collective term for works of literature that transcend time and culture to have a universal appeal. Such novels, short stories and poetry remain relevant through time. They are recognized for their artistic merit, quality and often for their groundbreaking nature.” You might have noticed repetition of the word “time.” That’s key. Classic literature stands the test of time. It’s not a fad—something wildly popular for a decade or so. In that sense, no one can say if the Harry Potter series is a classic. People might argue today about its “artistic merit and quality,” but no one can say it’s a classic right now. That category is reserved for time-tested literature.

Time, of course, isn’t all that makes classic literature. Wollacott also mentions its “artistic merit” and “groundbreaking nature.” Put differently, classic literature shows a power to change things, as art often does.

Now, what Christians should be particularly concerned with in Wollacott’s definition is the phrase “transcend time and culture.” What exactly is it about this type of literature that transcends time and culture? And do the same criteria apply to Christian and non-Christian literature? It’s difficult to say, though many works considered classics across the genres draw attention to the human condition of suffering, the value of life, the war between good and evil, the worth of hope, the beauty of imagination, and other deep trends about our meaning and purpose in the world. Think of books such as To Kill a Mockingbird; The Catcher in the Rye; The Brothers Karamazov; Little Women; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Lord of the Rings. The themes developed in books like these are perennial themes, addressed by every generation.

What sets Christian literature apart, in my mind, is its pointing to the hope of Christ, the truth of redemption. That truth is continually looked down upon by the broader world. So it would be no surprise that Christians might nominate some books as classics, such as Pilgrim’s Progress, that may not appear on a list of classic titles from a secular publisher.

My point in saying this is not to discourage the reading of literature more broadly. Rather, it’s to help you see that a book might be “classic material” even if it’s not as widely appreciated as others. In my mind, The Wingfeather Saga may well fit into that category one day, but I reckon most non-Christians won’t have heard of it. Andrew Peterson points to grace and redemption in ways only a Christian author could. And grace and redemption certainly “transcend time and culture.” That’s just an example of a contemporary work that I think will one day “transcend time and culture” for Christians.

Why Read the Classics?


We have a sense of what makes a classic, but why read the classics, Christian and non-Christian? Here are some reasons that apply both to you and to your kids.

1. The past is important. This may seem obvious, but classic books are not just “good stories.” They’re markers of time and place, of what God was doing in someone’s life, and even in the life of a culture. It’s hard, for instance, to ignore the background of World War II when diving into The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings. Classic works emerge from people in context. And those people have things to teach us, things that go beyond them. There’s a sense in which our reading of classics is a looking backwards at what someone else saw, and at what they created through that seeing. This is related to our own reception of salvation. What God did through Christ and by the Spirit nearly two thousand years ago still matters. It’s still shaping us. God uses the past to change the present and mold the future. Works of classic literature reinforce that God-given truth.

2. What people notice is important. If a work of literature was and continues to be noticed by a lot of people, that matters. It’s not that we should read whatever the masses read, or that whatever is important to the world should be important to us. No—it’s that if something is being noticed by a lot of people, then it’s becoming a catalyst for change, for good or evil. And as Christians, we need to know what those catalysts for change are so that we can interact with others. In other words, classic literature can serve our apologetic goals. It can help us find points of contact with those who don’t believe in Christ. In reading this literature, we can first validate the things they love and then show them where those things are pointing—to Christ, since all truth and beauty and meaning points to him.

3. Common narratives are becoming rare. It’s clear that our world is becoming more fragmented and polarized. We don’t share stories the way we used to. But the more stories we have in common, the easier it will be to have dialogue on what’s going on in the world and in our own spiritual lives. We use stories, after all, to interpret what happens to us. When we have common stories to reference, that opens doors for communication. And communication will always be critical for humans, since we’re made in the image of a communicative God.

Lots of other reasons could be given as to why reading classic literature is important, but that’s enough to get your mind started.

Where to Begin


Here are some classics you might start with. I’ve organized the list with some titles for younger readers, moving into titles for older readers. This list isn’t meant to be authoritative or exhaustive. It’s just a place you might start. There are plenty of titles to add to the list! As you read these stories—and I recommend reading them aloud to your kids—start having conversations with your kids about the themes in the books and how they relate to situations and people in their own world. The more connections you help them make, the deeper their understanding will go and the more perspectives they’ll be able to add to their reservoir. This will go a long way in helping them sympathize with other people, and that ability is a central part of what it means to be human.