Why Read the Classics Post #6: Introduction and Conclusion Analysis

In the essay "Why Read the Classics?" I consider the whole first chapter to be the introduction. Therefore, the introduction is obviously organized through a method called: defining a word or phrase. The word that this whole essay is about is the word being defined. Of course, that word is classic. However it is not the actual word, it is meant to be defined as a classic work of literature. Calvino surrounds the whole introduction around defining what a classic work of literature is so that his readers will know what to expect in the rest of the body of the essay. I think this is a strong way to open the essay because the reader will start of knowing on the definition of a classic novel, so they will want to keep reading.

Much like the other essay "Good Readers and Good Writers" the conclusion in this essay is not much. The essay wraps up by talking about Tolstoy, a Russian author. The conclusion says fullness in life is valued by Tolstoy, and he often though outside the box. That is my interpretation of this section of the last sentence "what counts in Tolstoy is what is not visible, not articulated, what could exist but does not." I think the conclusion is not big enough to be characterized by that much. However, if I have to try to characterize it, I believe it is wrapping up the classic author and his abstract beliefs and how they relate to life.

Bibliography! :
Calvino, Italo. "Why Read the Classics." The Uses of Literature. New York: Vintage Books, 1999