Classic Literature as Social Currency

It’s trendy to read Classic literature, right?

Taking a cursory glance at the state of Bookstagram or curated tables at Barnes & Noble, it might seem that, yes, that genre of old, iconic texts is popular. You can rattle off a half dozen titles that fall under that umbrella that’s crossed your radar recently because there’s always some conversation about one. 

But is it actually trendy to deep dive into that genre, or is it that people are satisfied with token Classics because saying you’ve read them serves as social currency?

I’ve already had a mini rant this year about book to film adaptations (literally, the post is titled “Let’s Chat Book to Film Adaptations,” if you’re curious to check it out) so I won’t go into that, again, but these thoughts are coming to mind as, just this month, Chris Nolan’s The Odyssey has premiered and a trailer just dropped for the new adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. I’ve seen some accounts on Instagram make posts that say something like, “Your Guide to Jane Austen” or “The Odyssey 101,” in response to these things.

 If that’s content you enjoy creating, more power to you, and, if you find that helpful in getting your feet wet in the ocean that is Classic literature, I’m happy for you.

But why does the foray into this genre begin and end with the same token titles that are perpetually shown on our screens? Really, how many iterations of Pride and Prejudice do we need? Why are people immensely interested in certain titles only once dramatic trailers featuring Jacob Elordi have dropped?

Film and TV can serve as someone’s first taste of a Classic piece, can introduce you to a wide range of stories you proceed to spend a good deal of time reading and thinking about, but that’s not what it feels like, in this moment in time, as I broadly consider how reading appears to be happening in our society. 

Because so much of our society is online, here’s a little timeline for ya: I started a personal “Classics Project” the summer of 2019, which involves reading a whole host of titles that land within that genre; in 2020, I hopped onto Bookstagram; late 2022-ish saw me hopping off simply because my priorities were pointed in different directions; and, beginning of 2025, I got back on board with my writing account. When I rejoined the bookish community online last January, the same Classic titles—and, really, those only—that I’d seen posts and conversations about in 2020, 2021, were still the same. 

Why have the conversations not changed, over time? Why has the conversation not grown to include more titles, more authors? Because they’re out there. The genre of Classics is not a shallow one.

Even just consider one, iconic author. We’ll point to Ms. Austen, again. Would love to see more light shed on Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey, even if I didn’t enjoy them personally. 

Or let’s look at the Brontës. We all know about Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but what about Agnes Grey? Villette? The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?

I often feel this way about Mr. Steinbeck, whose writing and stories I adore so much. I genuinely get so excited when I see someone posting about how they’re picking up their first book by him, and I get even more of a thrill seeing one of his less popular titles reviewed or discussed. Let’s hear your thoughts on In Dubious Battle or Tortilla Flat or The Red Pony. There’s so much more to his bibliography than The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. 

Ah, but what is the point of reading a Classic that no one else is chatting about? What’s the point, when an upcoming adaptation hasn’t made the story a buzzy topic? It’s more fun, more of a dopamine hit, to be able to chime in on the conversation everyone else is having. To say, Oh, I read that, too! and be on the inside of those who “get it.” Who read the book first and then watched the movie. Who feel like they’ve checked a “Good Reader” box because they completed the Classic with the class.

There is a definite social aspect to reading, which isn’t a bad thing. What a joy, right, to chat with someone about your favorite book or the latest thing that kept you up until midnight because you couldn’t put it down. Being part of the class has its benefits.

Being someone able to start the conversation rather than just jump into it also has its benefits. That’s where I believe we need to be, when it comes to reading the Classics.

I mentioned I have a personal project related to this genre, and it all came about because I was fed up with people telling me I had to read a book because it was a Classic. Like it was a given there are certain books you need to read and are absolutely going to enjoy because they are that good. And then I’d read them, and they were down-right stinkers. 

Now, I’ve read my fair share of the Classics. Nearly 200, at the time of this writing. I have read those in the mainstream, and I’ve picked up some that fly under the radar. There are those I should read again to better decipher what it’s getting across but that I won’t because I had a miserable time the once. I’ve been delightfully surprised, and I’ve gone in with certain perceptions that were proved wrong. 

Whatever I read next on the list, however I appreciate (or don’t) a given book, the best part of this project and about reading the Classics is that I get to experience for myself this literary heritage with a wide scope and unapologetic opinions. And what Bookstagram, society, your own reading life needs is more of that. 

Because, also, I’m no longer talking about how reading a variety of Classics impacts your social media account. You cannot read for the ‘gram. You read, you think critically about what it is you’ve consumed, and you go on this journey not so you can say, I did it, too! but so you can have the labor and the learning for yourself. 

In this age of FOMO and easy accessibility to media and entertainment, I understand why it’s the same, few Classics being perpetually talked about or turned into an Apple series. I know the deal with our shrinking attention spans and how too much we see on Instagram is simply performative. 

And the moral of this blog post isn’t that you can’t jump on the bandwagon of whichever Classic is trending, at the moment. If you’re meant to take anything away from these thoughts, it’s that we should not be readers who are satisfied with only the one wagon. Just because fewer people are talking about taking a different route doesn’t mean it’s a bad one. The road less traveled, right? 

Except, in the case of this genre of literature, the road is well-traveled in endless directions, and no matter the path you choose you’ll be able to find supplemental commentary or material that helps you understand your text of choice. Or you’re more than able to muddle through and really challenge yourself to see what you can extrapolate on your own. You are capable. You can tackle any Classic you set your mind to.

Does that mean you’re going to enjoy whatever the experience is? No. Enjoyment is not a given with any book. So, you have to set aside your desire for entertainment and ease and be satisfied with joy rooted in the activity of reading. In the annotating, in making it through another ten pages, in connecting a dot that was foreshadowed in Chapter Two. 

We call it “reading for leisure,” and leisure is our free time. With reading, it means we are free to read at our own pace. Free to choose what we pick up in the first place. Most importantly: we are free to learn and nourish our minds not because someone told us to but because we can. 

If a book is so valuable as to be labeled a Classic, I believe that means it is around for those purposes—education and nourishment. Writers can learn the craft by studying these revered texts. People, in general, can encounter lessons of humanity. Wrapped up in this genre are matters of cleverness, kindness, forgiveness, amusement, you name it. Life! Yet, we only pick up the ones we’ll be able to see on the big screen or the ones that keep us in the same trending loop as everyone else.

Next week I’ll be back with a second Classics related post because I want to offer recommendations on where to start, in this genre, should you be interested in those timeless titles that don’t get as much attention today as they ought to. And, if you have a Classic you love to champion, by all means, drop it in the comments and I’ll make sure it gets a special shout-out. 

Until then, be well, friends!