When is best in life to read or reread many of the greatest classic novels?

First of all, and most of all, read them when you are young (teens and 20s) so they can still influence the longer trajectory of your life!

But let’s say you are past that point.  It seems to me an optimal amount of waiting is in order.  You want at least one of your rereads to come at the near-peak of your knowledge, understanding, and emotional development.  So age 60 might be better than age 47, if only to maximize appreciation?

I suspect that at age 80 you have lost a bit too much emotional energy to appreciate them as much as possible?  But that is debatable, and perhaps for some people that point sets in before age 60.

Most generally, another reread is usually a good idea, no matter what your age.

Should you spread those rereads out over time, or is there a case for bunching at a single mini-era in your life?

In London and Siena I have been rereading Thomas Hardy’s 1878 Return of the Native, Hardy of course being one of the all-time greats.