Piranesi is fantastic and I will always recommend it, for those wanting enjoyable fiction. There’s a lot of Marxist theory I think is critical too, but I can’t distill that down to one or two works.
Occasionally I read something I don’t like. Usually I learn something because of it. Sometimes I figure out I don’t like it halfway through, finish it, but then imagine a better ending.
I agree with the post, mostly. I don’t think anyone should read things they dislike, but I also think there are books that are required reading.
Reading a good summary or review may be enough, but not knowing who Romeo and Juliet are could be a problem even if not reading the book isn’t.
Who decides what is required? That doesn’t make any sense. You can recommend awesome books to your friends (have you read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius?) but they are not compelled to do so.
If I see books on your recommended list that I either liked or hated I may be more or less inclined to read your recommendations, but calling a book a “must read” is egotistical.
I think when people consider something required, they either mean they wish it taught in school or have a belief that it is profound enough to recommend to everyone. Like, I have a Marxist-Leninist reading list that I made and linked in my profile, and would love for more people to read it (or, more specifically, the works on it) but I can’t beam it into people’s heads nor force them to engage with it. I can only recommend it for those who actually want an ML reading list.
You are welcome to teach from your list of ML books and I am welcome to choose if I attend your class. What is profound to one person may not interest another and vice versa.
I can strongly recommend some Anishinaabe novels but that does not mean everyone has to read them.
I am referring to that which has a widely accepted cultural meaning. That which a large part of society knows and/or not knowing it will make you outside the general culture. This varies in space and time and is not decided independently by anyone, it is rather a consensus between creators and the public.
You can not read it, but you must know it or you will be left out of references that others know, impoverishing your experience.
If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you too?
That shared cultural experience can be a benefit, but even niche works can have that same feeling among small groups. Assuming your list is better than mine is egotistical.
At no point have I suggested that one thing is better or worse, and I have also acknowledged that this list changes over space and time. I can add the social context because I agree with you regarding small groups.
However, what ultimately matters is what is culturally influential—what shapes the worldview of our societies, even for those who are not directly aware of it. There are works, not just books but also music or films, that change our perspective on the world in the long term and do so by influencing all subsequent creators (at least in the mainstream). Being familiar with these works is important, and this doesn’t mean there aren’t brilliant works outside of this sphere—it’s just that their cultural impact is so significant that they deserve your attention.
I suppose I will not convince you from my point, but I want you to know that I appreciate an educated conversation that for once does not deal with politics or things like that. It is a pleasure to chat with someone and exchange points of view and even better do it than someone with whom you do not agree.
I recently wrote an android app to help rank your favorite things, and its been really helpful for ranking my fav books. Rank-my-favs
Anytime I finish a new book, it gets added and sorted in the list.
There have been a few books I tried reading because they were hyped up by media or came from a top 10 list.
All I can say is I’m glad I didn’t finish them out of some sense of completion. It’s ok to not like something and give it up.
🗿
