The one lesson that you can’t learn from great English and American literature is the politically correct point of view: the idea that the culture of the West is nothing but a source of injustice, and that only perpetual vigilance against all its “ism”s and “phobia”s can protect us against the return of oppression and misery. If you could learn from our great literature to despise and fear Western civilization, the PC professors wouldn’t have quit teaching it.
This assessment of the study of literature today comes from Elizabeth Kantor in her book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature. You’ll find a discussion with Kantor about great literature, most of which was written by dead, white males, in today’s Carolina Journal interview, found here.
