hebel. today · 2 November 202613 / 69
Culture · Literary Analysis
Harvard students return to the canon
At Harvard, a freshman course titled Humanities 10 has become a surprise academic hit, with applications surging 40% this fall as 180 students vied for 90 spots. The curriculum ignores modern buzzwords like "Western…
From 10 newsletters · 2 min read · one thing to try
At Harvard, a freshman course titled Humanities 10 has become a surprise academic hit, with applications surging 40% this fall as 180 students vied for 90 spots (Defending The Republic, Marginalia). The curriculum ignores modern buzzwords like "Western Civ," instead guiding students from "The Odyssey" and "Ulysses" back to "The Iliad," while banning digital devices and requiring weekly essays. Professors and students alike view this old-school rigor as an antidote to a culture they find hostile to deep engagement. Participants explicitly reject the use of AI to summarize these texts, arguing that the human experience embedded in literature remains inaccessible to machines. This demand for intellectual challenge suggests that students are actively seeking to reclaim their autonomy as thinkers in an era of automated content.
“Math is not the fact, it’s the why”
KW Norton Borders
Literature functions as a repository of human wisdom, offering a record of specific lives and times that AI-generated summaries cannot replicate (Frump Feelings, Unmapped Storylands with Elif Shafak). Reading novels forces the brain to construct unique images and engage with complex, contradictory human experiences that demand sustained attention (Best Books & Audiobooks). While critics often dismiss English studies as frivolous, the discipline actually develops critical thinking by teaching readers to move beyond surface-level plot tracking toward identifying subtext, metaphor, and nuance (Raz’s Revelations, FictionMatters). This ability to read critically serves as a prerequisite for navigating modern discourse, allowing individuals to recognize their own stories in the words of others and find language for feelings previously left unnamed (Rosemary Morretta).
Audiobooks offer a vital entry point for those struggling to engage with complex fiction, as listening comprehension develops faster than the ability to decode text (Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Restoring the West by Ayaan Hirsi Ali). Research using functional MRI shows that reading and listening activate similar brain regions, meaning audiobooks allow listeners to access sophisticated narratives long before they can read them independently. By introducing fiction early, listeners practice empathy by imagining themselves in the lives of others, a skill essential for maintaining social cohesion. Whether through high-quality audio or printed classics, the goal remains the same: to cultivate a deep, personal connection to the written word that survives the distractions of the current age (KW Norton Borders).
The most transformative and mind-expanding class I ever took was an interdisciplinary seminar my Freshman year at Georgetown that like this one was “distinctly old school.”
Try today · 45 min
Perform a "deep reading" session with a single chapter from a classic book.
Pick one short chapter, put your phone in another room, and read it twice—once for the story, and once for the "why" behind the author's word choices.
Steps
- Select a classic text you have been meaning to read.
- Place your phone and all digital devices in a separate room.
- Read one chapter at a normal pace to understand the narrative.
- Read the same chapter a second time slowly, noting specific words or phrases that stand out.
- Write down one question about a character's motivation or the author's intent that the text leaves unanswered.