A Treasure-Trove Of Priceless Knowledge: Upon A Closer Look At John Ruskin On Books In Lecture I Of 'Sesame and Lilies'

John Ruskin. was born on the 8th of February, 1819 in London. As of today, he has earned the reputation of being a 'polymath', given as to how he was proficient in not just the written word but in also leaving a more prominent mark in many other fields, such as art criticism and architecture. More importantly, Ruskin was also a 'Prophet' of the Victorian Age, and is particularly notable for writing polemical prose which seeks to bring about political and social change. This is essentially, the general frame of reference that one needs to have, while attempting to read Ruskin's lectures. The first of these lectures is titled 'Sesame: Of Kings And Treasures' and it is in this lecture, that we shall be delving in detail as regards to the subject matter pertinent to our discussion. Ruskin died in 1900, but his works continue to inspire many to probe deeply into the intricacies of life even today. 

The empiricist philosopher Francis Bacon, in his essay 'Of Studies', makes certain crisp and equally crucial distinctions in the nature of worldly knowledge. Before embarking on a just pursuit for such knowledge, or even wisdom, it is imperative to understand how to acquire it. Some knowledge is to be taken only at face value, some to be considered more carefully and some to be internalized and put into practice. The economics of material gains and losses, of investments and returns, in short, the real world model of knowledge operating on a specific pattern and coming with guarantees of tangible outcomes; i.e. 'advancement in life' as is the proper term used ever so contentiously by Ruskin, falls into this category. While Francis Bacon in his 'Of Studies' was of the view that knowledge can be used for one's self-aggrandizement, Ruskin states that as an established, indisputable fact. People do not want to seek knowledge as it is meant to be sought, they seek knowledge specifically in accordance with its material utility, if it can help them to occupy better stations in life. The seaman does not wish to become captain on merit, to be an example to be followed. He wants to become captain because of selfish desire, because of the control he can egregiously exert upon those he already deems inferior to himself. Everything said and done, there is also the fact that widely accepted ideals are not proof of their validity. It is crucial to demarcate and establish a balance between one's priorities in tandem with the reconciliation of the conscious and subconscious faculties, to achieve the harmony that Aldous Huxley calls health . Art, literature and poetry are the ennobling and transcendental forms of knowledge which align perfectly with an individual's overall health and wellbeing, along with making one intuitively aware of truths beyond the normal scope. 

Books are the vessels of that knowledge, they carry those invaluable ideals that are the keys to opening doors beyond the confines of one's imagining. Ruskin makes a careful distinction among 'books of the hour' and 'books of all time'. The book of the hour is essentially, the kind of accessible information which can perfectly be substituted for by ordinary day-to-day conversations. Whether it is good or bad is immaterial, since there is no substantial value addition taking place. It is also highly questionable as to whether it can even be considered a book in the first place since its subject matter can range from being a collection of interpersonal correspondences or a bunch of newspaper articles compiled together. Even if these letters and articles containing such useful information as key travel destinations, and blow-by-blow commentary of specific events were to be combined, they still would not constitute a book. The book is thus not a container for the temporarily useful, rather the timelessly permanent. The author of even a good 'book of the hour' is no different from our aforementioned seaman, he does not wish to be an author to inspire the exploration of creative potential in others, he wishes only to be an author in repute, to garner applause and derive subsequent gratification from it.

  Here, allow me to corroborate by means of a small example. When I was a child, I remember news reaching my family out of the blue that an uncle, a friend of my father, had authored a book. The man was visibly excited, asking his friends to distribute copies to all and sundry. Titled Imran Khan: Fistaai Jazeeray Mein (Imran Khan: In The Isle of Fascists), the book promised to be an interesting read, complete with the necessary amount of intrigue as could be more than appealing for the target demographic: elderly men debating hotly on topical political issues in the early hours of the morning, as can be found in the many parks around this great nation. However, once I had managed to peer inside the book, the only authorial contribution was the inclusion of a few photographs that my uncle had taken with Imran Khan (among other well-known and cliched ones of Imran Khan himself). Aside from that, was a clearly ghostwritten preface with a collection of various Urdu newspaper articles written by other people, only cited accordingly. In conclusion: not only a 'book of the hour' but quite a bad one at that, as well.

The point made is that the 'book of the hour' only serves as a multiplication of the voice of the individual who wrote it because that individual wants his voice multiplied only due to the fact that they perceive their subjective messaging to be helpful and constructive for the society at large, though that may not necessarily be the case.  Conversely, the 'book of all time' carries everlasting messages that stand the test of time and continue to be amplified by those who happen to be fortunate enough to stumble upon them. Here the messages so perpetuated, are permanent in nature. These are the books penned down by traditional authors, who as defined by T.S Eliot, fuse their own novelty of creative expression in conformity with the wisdom of the ancients. These are the books written in honesty and humility, and thus the good parts of these books shine bright over the evil ones, i.e. repetitive, affected and ill-done work. For those who think that such books can never be written, it is implored upon them to read books by great statesmen, philosophers etc. to get a rudimentary insight into the workings of great minds capable of producing immortal art. It is these people who can claim that they have truly fashioned the very best out of their life and what they have created is a testament to their ability. It is their inspiration, their inscription and their scripture all in one, they are akin to gods setting forth their own commandments, not reserved for a chosen few, but readily accessible to all.

With such treasures available for public consumption,  how can the people still choose to confine themselves to their immediate reality? How can the hypocrisies continue to prevail? How can people struggle to keep their place among the common folk while simultaneously, doing whatever they can to work their way up the ladder in order to appease those in power? Far away from this cruel, real world is the realm inside the pages of the book, where no such aristocracies exist, rather the very structure of the aristocracy itself is up for deconstruction. Only in the world of the books, can one truly be in the company of both the living and the dead, to keep a weather eye on the endless horizons by standing on the shoulders of giants. Only inside the pages of the book are there no material worries regarding an individual's place in the society. Everyone is welcome to explore this world, provided only that they are imbued with the desire to learn and to be taught. Ruskin is an advocate for being the change one wishes to see in the world and that can only happen when one is willing to unlearn their preconceived notions and ingrained prejudices and judge others only after thoroughly understanding their points of view. The pearls of wisdom are as scattered in books as the gold that Nature has placed within fissures deep inside the earth. Books read for the purpose of gaining wisdom should thus be given the same amount of time and attention as can equal  the sheer toil undertaken by miners while extracting priceless metals. Only by going through a similar process of hard work and immense struggle can one hope to be equipped to tackle the 'books of all time'. Otherwise giving oneself to gratuitous convenience, nothing worthwhile can ever come out of  sticking only to 'books of the hour', even writing them.

This brings us to the end of John Ruskin's ruminations on the subject of books and treatment of knowledge. Reading between the lines, and judging the prose by its polemic credentials, one can make a case that Ruskin, as inspired by the ideals of Romanticism, is advocating for a complete aesthetic education of the individual. The philosophy of aesthetics is quite notably the underlying theme with regards to his exaltation of the pursuit of knowledge, especially one that enhances an individual's innate faculties. In her research article titled "The Eye Is A Nobler Organ: Ruskin and American Art Education", Mary Ann Stankiewicz writes:

     

  Although utilitarian justifications for an industrial art education were effective in introducing art into the common school curriculum in 1870, another sort of rationale for art education was present in contemporary writings. This romantic idealist view of art education was a precursor of the conception of art education that expressed itself in schoolroom decoration and picture study at the turn of the century. Although derived from the aesthetic theory of John Ruskin, the English critic, the set of beliefs about art and art education held by men like Charles Eliot Norton, James Jackson Jarves, James Mason Hoppin, and George Fisk Comfort was consistent with the American experience of art. These beliefs emphasised the value of art for the education of morals; close ties between art, nature, and spiritual experience; the importance of art as a cultural study; and the role of imagination and genius in art. Ruskin's writings both reflected and helped to create a climate of opinion in which art education came to be considered a kind of moral education.

   

It turns out that John Ruskin is exactly the kind of teacher he expects the seekers of true aesthetic knowledge to respect and learn from. Thus to conclude, his humble reflections are only a testament to his wisdom which makes him one of the more underrated writers in English literature.