Why We Should Read Great Literature

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Why We Should Read Great Literature

In Western culture, many literary works have been set apart from the rest by being termed great literature. What qualifies a work to be great literature, and why should we read it?

An excellent source on this topic is Mortimer Adler, one of the premier American philosophers of the twentieth century and founder of the famous Great Books List. According to Adler, all great literature meets three criteria: the work is pertinent to contemporary life, is worth rereading, and contains "great ideas." Six of these "great ideas," defined by Adler, are three great ideas by which we judge--truth, goodness, and beauty--and three great ideas by which we live--equality, liberty, and justice. The ideas of justice, responsibilities of a society, responsibilities of the individual, nature of disobedience, and the oppression of people are all great ideas by which we live. All writers must possess strength if they are to faithfully address these great ideas. According to Anne Perez, in "Experiences of the Great Books," the great writers "dared to be creative in societies that were not always receptive to such courage."

Great literature is relevant to human problems in every century, not just twentieth-century problems or problems exclusive to the time in which the work was written. In other words, great literature has stood the test of time. It still influences our beliefs and ideas, shaping our civilization.

A great literary work must also have complexities. According to Adler, a great book has many meanings. This explains why all great literature is worth rereading. A good book with no more than one meaning need only be read once.

In addition to Adler's criteria, great literature addresses two important issues: what is truth and how do we know it? Each work, writes Perez, has vastly different "truths" ranging from aspects of art, to matters of religion, to types of government. What each writer must do is convince his or her audience that s/he has found some way to determine truth.

In conclusion, great literature has the following characteristics: it is relevant to contemporary life, it is worth rereading, and it should contain certain great ideas.

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