On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books

Oscar Wilde said, “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” For the most part, however, literary critics since Aristotle disagree with Wilde. In fact, until the turn of the 20th century, the practice of literary criticism was primarily dedicated to exploring how books taught us about morality. On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior returns to this long-established conversation. How do we become good humans? And how can Great Books help us achieve that? By exploring the ways critical works of literature illustrate cardinal, theological, and heavenly virtues, Prior challenges those who believe reading “after virtue” is a simplistic or naive approach. Her appeal to modern readers is twofold: Excellent books do shape the quality of our moral life, but only if we practice the virtues necessary to read well.