/lit/ - Literature

Do you dress like you're on a boat, wear glasses you don't need, and play golf (badly)?

Paradise Lost is fucking amazing. If you're getting lost, perhaps watch the relevant lectures here. I haven't watched is Paradise Lost lectures, but I watched the first few in the course. He's pretty good. Also try rereading certain passages and reading parts out loud. You don't get to achieve the status of Paradise Lost without not only being rich in content but also being extremely lyrical.

http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-220

“And literature is written to be entertaining?” Wooley suggests again, “Absolutely. My God, to read without joy is stupid.” - John Williams

Why do certain e/lit/es still deny this truth?

Are you cultured, lit? I mean, if we were judging you based on you as a whole person and not just on what you read, would you think you'd be considered cultured? I think my real question though, is what does it mean to be cultured in today's society? Here I am, surrounded by hundreds of classic novels, paintings on my wall, I'm sipping a fine whisky, and listening to opera. I don't feel cultured though. I feel like I'm embracing things I enjoy, and when put in that light, how is it any better than someone who watches NASCAR and believes that Eddy Murphy is the greatest comedian that ever lived?

When I was in high school, Poe was the go to author for people who wanted to look smart and different.
What did lit read (or pretend to read) in high school to look smart?