Against philistinism—reading ideas for 2025

Over the past 10 days, I’ve been having a few arguments on the hell-site (still) known as Twitter. Foolish, I know. First, because a “former English major” and a few others said Shakespeare was “inaccessible and alienating to students” and should be dropped from school. Then because one said Shakespeare’s considered a genius only because “there was a lot of low-hanging fruit,” and another said Shakespeare and Mozart were “both very usual” and “The Artistic Genius is a myth that is forged by cultural institutions over decades and centuries.” Some of you are surely glad you’re not on social media. But no, it got worse. A couple of days ago, the news of Christopher Nolan’s new project revealed that a few film youtubers had never heard of The Odyssey; there were strong reactions; numerous philistines appeared in defence of ignorance, asking if people are supposed to know “every single piece of literature” and calling others pretentious; a few appeared to think The Odyssey was American or written in English (one for example asked “How do they expect people who don’t speak English as their first language to know this book?”, but there were others). 

Dismal.

Even if there is little impact, I can’t help feeling an urge to fight against anti-intellectualism and inverted snobbery, against identity politics and Critical Race Theory, against philistinism and the School of Resentment. 

One of the ways to fight is reading and analysing and promoting classic books.

So next year, I’m gonna read The Odyssey. It would be a sudden jump, but that shouldn’t matter—I’m curious about George Steiner’s comparison of Dostoyevsky to Shakespeare and Tolstoy to Homer. The question is which translation. 

(At some point, I will get to Ovid because of his influence on Shakespeare and Cervantes, but perhaps not yet). 

In 2025, I’m gonna continue exploring the 18th century. At the moment I’m taking a tiny break from Tom Jones to read a book by my uncle the literary critic, and may pick up something else whilst in Leeds. Should also expand beyond novels—I know I’m narrow. 

I’m also gonna see more of the 17th century. Perhaps read some more Spanish Golden Age plays. Or just explore 17th century French drama. I haven’t read Molière. And of course reread a few Shakespeare plays and read some more Shakespearean criticism. 

Those are the main projects. 

There are also some loose ideas scattered around. For various reasons I’m now more interested in Ulysses, so I’m gonna have to build up for it—try Dubliners again and build up. 

I’d also like to read more Jewish literature. Over the past year, I read Primo Levi, Isaac Babel, Isaac Bashevis Singer. Tom of Wuthering Expectations gave me as birthday present a collection of classic Yiddish stories. Should read those. And perhaps more. 

Even if the philistines and authoritarians win, even if the public becomes increasingly ignorant of classic works because of tiktoks and a million other distractions, I will not lose—because these books I read are mine.