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William Burns's avatar

Lewis is in the Library of America, for what its worth, so he made the closest thing to an official American canon.

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Luis Senna's avatar

This is the article I needed to read.

Although I would say that the world of Great Books does seem crowded with a lot of quote compilers, list makers, and self-help gurus (just like everything else).

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Lauren's avatar

Main Street is on my shelf unread. Will give it a go!

I went back to get my MA in the humanities in my 30s, basically because I felt under educated (granted, I went looking for education in the academy, which might undermine your point), and you always provide the best justifications for my desire to read famous books -- though people always want me to justify the decision to go back to school for them, and I don't think, "so I can fulfill my social role as a shabby genteel" is going to convince them more than my current blank stare. But it won't hurt to try it out!

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