Calvino's Essay: Question 6

Calvino's methods are definitely not the norm. Instead of opening with some profound quote or idea he hops right in. "Let us begin by putting forward some definitions." I think this is a good way of opening because it doesn't even really give the reader a chance to think about putting it down. You're so intrigued that there was no opening to bore you, you continue on. Then he does not use the usual paragraph method, either. He simply gives a straight forward reason, used to persuade you that classics are worth your while, then follows with more in-depth explanations of the reason. I think this method is a short- and-sweet one, used in order to keep feeding you new things as to keep you entertained as long as possible. Calvino's conclusion is frankly quite unsettling. Instead of pulling all of his reasons together into one big nice picture, he simply befuddles us by telling us all his reasons don't even really matter. "...so that people do not believe that the classics must be read because they serve some purpose. The only reason that can be adduced in their favor is that reading the classics is always better than not reading them." I, myself, was quite shocked at this. This guy thinks of fourteen reasons as to why we should read the classics, but then ends it all with telling us we should not assume there is some purpose in reading the classics. It is simply always better to read them than to not.