Why We Should Read Great Literature In Western culture, many literary works have been distinguished from others by being called great literature. What qualifies a work as great literature and why should we read it? An excellent source on this topic is Mortimer Adler, one of the leading American philosophers of the twentieth century and founder of the famous Great Books List. According to Adler, all great literature meets three criteria: the work is relevant to contemporary life, it is worth rereading, and it contains "big ideas." Six of these “big ideas,” defined by Adler, are three big ideas by which we judge—truth, goodness, and beauty—and three big ideas by which we live: equality, freedom, and justice. The ideas of justice, the responsibilities of a society, the responsibilities of the individual, the nature of disobedience and oppression of people are all great ideas that we live by. All writers must possess strength if they are to faithfully tackle these big ideas. According to Anne Perez, in “Experiences of Great Books,” great writers “dared to be creative in societies that were not always receptive to such courage.” Great literature is relevant to the human problems of every century, not just the 20th century. issues or problems unique to the time in which the work was written. In other words, great literature has stood the test of time. It still influences our beliefs and ideas, shaping our civilization. Even a great literary work must have complexities. According to Adler, a great book has many meanings. This explains why all great literature is worth rereading. A good book with no more than one meaning should be read only once. In addition to Adler's criteria, great literature addresses two important questions: what is truth and how do we know it? Each work, writes Perez, contains very different "truths" ranging from aspects of art, to religious questions, to types of government. What every writer must do is convince their audience that they have found a way to determine the truth. In conclusion, great literature has the following characteristics: it is relevant to contemporary life, it is worth rereading and it should contain some great ideas.