Why the "Great Books" Are Great: An Argument and Guide

This book was written for the general reader--although replete with original reading of the Classics. The "Argument" of the subtitle is written against today's trendy critics who seem lost and floundering. As an antidote, I propose as the criterion of greatness the theory of Aristotle and his tradition (which included every major critic down to the present century) that literature presents a true representation of human experience--you can't get any simpler than that! The Guide refers to the treatment of eleven Great Books that show that theory in action, providing a kind of Great Books course, what you wish you had learned in College.