A lump forms in my throat, and I pause from reading (again). Who is this guy? I say to myself, using the Kindle hyperlink to return to the introductory note.
Giuseppe Mazzini was a political idealist, born in Genoa, Italy, on June 22, 1805. I read the short notation about Mazzini's faith in democracy and his intense desire for a free Italy, apparently paying a heavy price for his ideals. Arrested, banished from France, expulsed from Switzerland, and at one point condemned to death, Mazzini continues his propaganda for a free and independent Italy by writing (which explains his command over the written word). Mazzini lived mainly in London but returned to Italy before his death on March 10, 1872.
I return to reading about Byron and Goethe. Mazzini is dealing with a cancel culture of his own, and those who want to change the future are trying to do so by eliminating the past.
"A reaction has now commenced; good, in so far as it reveals a desire for and promise of new life; evil, in so far as it betrays narrow views, a tendency to injustice towards departed genius, and the absence of any fixed rule or principle to guide our appreciation of the past."
Mazzini's essay takes me two hours to read, stopping frequently to capture notes and make connections throughout my zettelkasten archive. I marvel at his words:
"Gifted with a liberty they know not how to use; with a power and energy they know not how to apply; with a life whose purpose and aim they comprehend not; they drag through their useless and convulsed existence."
And I am drawn toward his desire that benefits the broader conception of humanity and not just my place within it.
My mission was accomplished for this reading assignment. I close the book and move on to the rest of my day. My mission for 2025 was to find "better" things to spend my reading time on. I am a voracious reader, often commenting that my default setting is reading; I watch TV to be sure, but generally, long after draining my mind of energy. I've taken notes from books and articles for most of my adult life. However, there is a distinct decline in the quality of material available; more and more, I find it challenging to find good books.
In November 2022, writer and blogger Cory Doctorow coined the phrase "enshittification," a term he used to describe a pattern of declining quality from inception (attracting users) to levels of degradation to maximize profits. Doctrow first used the word to describe online platforms; however, he argues, "'enshittification' is coming for absolutely everything."
The very nature of the problem (more crap available to read) bellied a solution (simply reading more), and so I searched for how I might read from a better selection of material. A solution presented itself (of all places) on the Amazon Unlimited platform as a short (161-page) reader's guide (summary) to the Harvard Classics.
I've been fascinated with the Harvard Classics ever since I can remember seeing the hard-bound leather books, often trimmed in gold, neatly lined on shelves displaying names like Milton, Darwin, Goethe, and Grimm (the spines rarely broken). The library set runs into the thousands of dollars, making the material out of reach for most people. I downloaded The Complete Harvard Classics 2021 (Kindle) edition—all 72 volumes for $2.00.
Amanda Kennedy had organized Charles Eliot's (a former president of Harvard University) original reading guide of the classics, copying only those sections of material needed into a daily reading schedule to provide a "whirlwind tour of classic literature." I downloaded all 4,883 pages of The Harvard Classics in 365 days (for another $2.00) and began my planned reading.
By the third day, it became apparent that if I genuinely wanted more from the books, I would need to spend more time on each assignment, so I decided to complete 365 assignments without regard to the required timeframe. The purpose of The Harvard Classics, according to Charles Eliot, wasn't to create a list of simply the "best books" of the day but to present "so ample and characteristic a record of the stream of the world's thought that the observant reader's mind shall be enriched, refined and fertilized." And no enshittification in sight.
Written January 8, 2025
Grammarly provided editorial assistance.
Thanks for Reading!
Footnotes
Eliot, Charles; Kennedy, Amanda. The Harvard Classics in a Year: A Liberal Education in 365 Days. Amanda Kennedy. Kindle Edition.