That essay argues that there is a personal element in defining what qualifies in this category, as exemplified by the author's antipathy toward Rousseau and an art historian's love for The Pickwick Papers.
An essay on works in this category compares them to MallarmÃ©'s idea of the "total book" and describes them as "on a level with the ancient talismans." That essay argues that there is a personal element in defining what qualifies in this category, as exemplified by the author's antipathy toward Rousseau and an art historian's love for The Pickwick Papers. A quote about Socrates learning a flute song just before drinking hemlock ends that essay on these works, which we engage with "only out of love," and not "duty or respect." Th e distinction between "reading" and "rereading" is offered as one definition for works of this type, which can also be said to be works that have "never (*) finished saying what [they have] to say." Italo Calvino wrote an essay answering the title query, "Why Read [these works]?" For 10 points, name this broadly defined body of literature, ranging from Thucydides to Tolstoy, which is considered especially important to and established within a culture or language.
An essay on works in this category compares them to MallarmÃ©'s idea of the "total book" and describes them as "on a level with the ancient talismans.
the  Classics