For centuries, education in the West was based around an in-depth study of the Greek and Latin classics. In recent decades, however, these classic works have fallen off of the curriculum in many schools. Far too many students are able to graduate from high school without ever reading a play by Sophocles or Aeschylus, or without encountering Plato, Cicero, Horace or any of the other literary giants of the Greek and Roman world. However, without having at least a passing familiarity with these writers, it can be difficult to fully understand much of the literature that comes after their time.
Much of the Western canon involves a reaction or response to these earlier writers. Read more →
There are many people that feel that ancient literature is completely outdated. Even though no one can debate the fact that ancient literature is very old, it is very important to consider the content of some pieces of ancient literature before completely ruling out the fact that it does not have any benefit for us today. There are many people that spend almost their entire life studying writings from Bronze Age Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt to early medieval works from the fifth to ninth century AD.