On this topic, I fanatically endorse “Great Books” by David Denby. He took the famous western civ core curriculum at Columbia as an undergrad in the 1960s, then

On this topic, I fanatically endorse “Great Books” by David Denby. He took the famous western civ core curriculum at Columbia as an undergrad in the 1960s, then again after 40-ish years. In addition to many other interesting subjects, the book asks the question, “are all these dead white men really that important to study the work of?” Spoiler: he says yes, but the pantheon of great works must be expanded to include those of equal merit previously ignored. Virginia Woolf is one of those he puts on that pedestal with Homer, Virgil, and all the rest.