'Since it’s impossible to know which period of my life is the middle, I’ve decided to have an ongoing crisis': 17 Classical Art Memes to Endure the Current Harsh Conditions

Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor

Sep 27, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Past and Present Projections

I never thought about it, but what would the middle of my life be? I hope it's my forties, but I'll never know. I guess I've just discovered one of the most basic human limitations ever: We can't know the future. But hey! We can know the past!

We can learn from it, I presume, interpret the paintings and documents early humans left behind , and put together a pretty decent picture of how they really lived. Or, in our case, project our most modern feelings onto some classical paintings to give them solemnity.

I'm like the girl in the cover meme but with my Kindle. Just kidding, I'm on TikTok; I haven't read a book in ages. The last book I read was Crime and Punishment; I guess stepping away from literature has to do with that, lol.

One thing I started doing that couldn't have been done in the Middle Ages is listening to audiobooks. I'm currently listening to Drácula (I know, I know, I have a tendency to the obscure; leave me alone). I don't feel guilty about it because I already read the book ages ago, so I'm just revisiting it through the audiobook. I love recreating that creepy, wonderful scenario while I try to sleep. It works wonders; I highly recommend it.

The only equivalent of audiobooks in the Middle Ages would be having someone read the book to you until you fall asleep, which would be an incredible luxury today. I'd gladly exchange my audiobook for that, but I'm chronically single, so I'd better stop daydreaming.

I started this audiobook thing one night when I couldn't sleep. I remembered that when I was little, my mother used to read me stories (I hope every mother does that; it's the best) and it worked like a charm. I was happy to find out it still does, so if you can't sleep some day, try it and let me know!

Anyway, here is the Classical Art Meme List of the week, so you smile for the rest of your Sunday! Enjoy.