I think I need to say that the Canterbury Tales is more worth your time than Gone Girl

That's my social role, and I choose to embrace it

When I describe my Great Books project to people, they sometimes say, "Oh I've never read any of those" or "I've never been able to get into any of those." I feel a strong temptation to reassure them that it's okay, and that nobody really needs to read these books. But I also resist that temptation because isn't my whole schtick that they're a good and …