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What are great books?
 
Not too long ago “Great Books” signified a course in the foundational texts of Western Civilization. Such books were considered “great” because they were essential in creating and preserving a specific set of cultural values. “Great” as an assessment of quality was not independent of the cultural or ideological work that these books do. This model of “greatness” is implicitly (and sometimes explicitly) exclusionary, a gatekeeping device that reinforces a sense of cultural identity by resisting the incursions of “others,” heterogeneous ideas that threaten the establishment.
 
The challenge of this course is to understand this formation of a canon of influential works, and to challenge it. To this end, we will spend time with works that have played a significant role in the Western Civilization narrative, but also listen to other voices that may question this narrative by responding to and supplementing it.
 
We will reach back into history and read toward the 21st century in both poetry and prose, looking at the ways a book engages with its moment as well as speaks to the future.
 
Additional aims of the course are to introduce students to different genres and ways of reading, and to practice the close reading that stands behind literary analysis.