Why Teachers Still Assign Classic Literature

Experts explain the enduring value of reading old stories in the modern classroom.

Apr. 12, 2026 at 2:20pm

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An extremely abstracted, out-of-focus photograph of students reading books, composed entirely of soft, warm pools of light and color.The timeless appeal of classic literature continues to captivate young readers in modern classrooms.Chicago Today

An English professor discusses the reasons why teachers continue to assign classic literature like 'Romeo and Juliet,' 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' and 'Jane Eyre' to students. These older stories can help students connect the past to the present, build critical thinking and empathy skills, and discover the sheer joy of reading strange and delightful tales.

Why it matters

Reading classic literature, even if the stories seem outdated or irrelevant at first, can provide valuable benefits for students. These works help students understand how the past influences the present, exercise their brains through complex language and sentence structures, develop empathy by experiencing diverse perspectives, and simply delight in the fun and weirdness of timeless storytelling.

The details

While some classic stories contain outdated or offensive content, teachers assign them to students to achieve a variety of educational goals. Older stories can reveal shared human experiences across time, like the way Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' explores teenage love and suicide that still resonate today. Classic literature also exposes students to vocabulary and sentence structures that build cognitive skills. Additionally, stories featuring diverse characters and settings can foster empathy. Even the sheer strangeness of older tales, like the disappearing Cheshire Cat in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' can delight and engage young readers.

  • The article was published on April 12, 2026.

The players

Elisabeth Gruner

An English professor who wrote the article explaining why teachers assign classic literature to students.

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What they’re saying

“Old stories are sometimes strange. They display beliefs, values and ways of life that the reader may not recognize.”

— Elisabeth Gruner, English Professor

“Reading specialist Maryanne Wolf writes about the 'special vocabulary in books that doesn't appear in spoken language' in 'Proust and the Squid.' This vocabulary – often more complex in older books – is a big part of what helps build brains.”

— Elisabeth Gruner, English Professor

“Stories also make us feel. Indeed, they teach us empathy. Readers get scared when they realize Harry Potter is in danger, excited when he learns to fly and happy, relieved or delighted when Harry and his friends defeat Voldemort.”

— Elisabeth Gruner, English Professor

The takeaway

While some classic literature may contain outdated or offensive content, the benefits of reading these works in the classroom - connecting the past to the present, building cognitive skills, developing empathy, and discovering the joy of strange and delightful storytelling - make them valuable educational tools that will likely continue to be assigned by teachers.