My reaction to this essay is a logical reaction. I don't really have any emotional connection to this essay, it actually kind of bored me, which I think is understandable. Italo Calvino makes some good points, but I don't think its going to change my mind that many classics are just boring, dry books that make for a good story. I think that a lot of times people just look for a lesson in things, but I just read the print. I don't look for a message or anything like that. I comprehend the text, and I can tell you the message, but I don't know if I necessarily agree. I think a book is a book, and that it can teach you things, but I disagree completely that it can be a guide to life like Calvino thinks it can be.
I do think it is important to read the classics, but I think it is important for a different reason than Calvino does. In my opinion, we should be reading the classics because they show us the different styles of writing that took place in the time period they were written, the types of people that existed, and the behavior. I disagree with Calvino in that we should be looking at these books for a message. All books have a message, I don't see how these books are any different.
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