The essay, Why Read the Classics? by Calvino, is organized very simply and conveniently. The method Calvino used to organize each of his points throughout the entire essay consists of stating his point using one sentence, and then explaining it and extending his thoughts on it while using examples. The essay's points are also easy to follow because Calvino identifies each point by numbering them. By reading the essay and taking notice of the numbers along the way you can easily identify Calvino's fourteen points. In this essay, Calvino's points are definitions of the classics. His first definition of the classics is "1. The classics are books about which you usually hear people saying: 'I'm rereading...' never 'I'm reading...' " (Calvino, page 3, paragraph 2). Calvino then goes on to explains and extends on this. He talks about how you may have read many books and have a wide range of reading experience, but there will always be even more fundamental works you have yet to read. To support this statement he uses many examples including: Herodotus and Thucydides, Saint-Simon, and Cardinal Retz. He even goes into detail about other countries adding that in France they continued to read what they started in school long after they completed school. Calvino uses this method of organization throughout the entire essay.
Calvino, Italo. Why Read the Classics? London: Vintage, 2000. Print.
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