What is Great Literature?

Why do we still read the Odyssey almost three thousand years after it was composed? Why is Shakespeare considered to be so important? What makes great literature great? Is it still being written today? Does literature still matter? Can it be important to our lives?

We explore these questions by looking closely at and thinking deeply about classics of world literature in a variety of genres and from various historical periods. Some of the authors we may cover include Homer, Sappho, Du Fu, Hafez, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Tolstoy, Kafka, Hemingway, James Baldwin, and Sheila Heti. While our approach is grounded in close reading and formal analysis, we also pay attention to how literature sounds, how it makes us feel, and whether it has personal relevance to us.

We will occasionally look at art forms such as painting, music, and film to see how “greatness” works in other media; and the class will include a field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Course participants are expected to contribute actively to class discussion, write a number of informal reaction pieces, engage in a few short creative projects, and deliver oral presentations on works of their own choosing.

Students learn how to read actively, think analytically, present their ideas effectively (both orally and in written form), and collaborate with their peers—all skills that will be invaluable to them in college and in their personal and professional lives.

No previous knowledge or course work is required.