/lit/ - Literature

>Please let me make her happy, deliver me from this dreadful tyranny of self. I have sunk low. Let me sink lower still, that I might know the truth.

Do you believe that reading "challenging" books is unrewarding until you are a seasoned reader?

I read in a very on-again/off-again way, I'd like to commit more time to reading. However, many of the books I own are classics such as Count of Monte Cristo and Don Quixote. Do you think that reading these when you likely won't understand parts of it (be it due to a matter of comprehension or a lacking vocabulary) is worthwhile?

Picture somewhat related, I have read it and enjoyed it but missed out on a lot of the depth and meaning.