There is so much literature available today that it’s difficult to separate the culturally relevant and significant writing from the run of the mill. It’s impossible to create a definitive list without omitting critically important works, so any suggestion is really based on opinion, even if the list is a consolidation of the opinions of many reviewers. The only real option is to acknowledge from the start that this or any other attempt is by definition incomplete and lacking. Nonetheless, the following is a list of four books from the Western literary tradition that every high school student should read.
The initial filter applied to arrive at this list was to exclude philosophy or mathematical treatises. One could otherwise make a legitimate claim that Plato or Sophocles or Euclid could themselves claim all four spots. This list represents fiction (and mythology) rather than non-fiction, an arbitrary choice. A list of four can by no means adequately reflect all of the remarkable variety of Western literature, and readers should feel free to respond with suggestions of their own.
The all time great books listed here were chosen based on their literary impact, their ability to remain relevant in modern times, and on their impact on future literature. However, the primary focus when determining which to include was the pedagogical impact of the book—that is, how well does it work in a teaching situation?
The Odyssey, by Homer
This wonderful epic poem is an enjoyable read that will enthrall students with a heroic journey, fantastic battles, and mythical creatures. The beautiful language and structure is complex enough to create opportunity for vocabulary development and grammar study but not so challenging that it discourages reading. The Odyssey set the standard for all heroic journeys that followed.
Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Often dubbed the “Great American Novel,” this book masterfully combines powerful themes of racism, child abandonment, and clannish feud violence all from the view of a teenage boy whose simple language belies a real intellect. In the news of late because of archaic language choices that have since become offensive, this all time great book offers culturally relevant conversation for students and teachers.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.
Perhaps no book released in the last hundred years has more unassuming roots and yet has presented its themes with this level of subtlety and understatement, primarily because the book’s point of view is constrained by the youth of the narrator. It is truly an exploration of the relationship between a man and his children, but setting it against a background of racial tension and small town prejudice added depth and richness few works ever attain. The title itself, and its implications, can offer a great deal of opportunity and discussion.
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens.
This novel often seems overshadowed by the author’s Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. Nonetheless, this work is far more aggressive in its exploration of class differences and social shame. The wit is sharper and the presentation of the satire more profound. Indeed, David Copperfield is an all time great book in part because reading it opens the student to the entirety of Dickens work like nothing else can.
You may want your students to make arguments about or analyze the works’ claims using the Toulmin model for argument structure. Students are entitled to be challenged, to be made to think rather than to recite plot devices. The four all time great books listed here can help a teacher to accomplish that goal. When students and teachers have exhausted the learning available from these books, there are a number of others to consider. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, Dante’s Inferno, and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness— there’s no end to the number of books that could legitimately have been one of the four listed here.
Sources
- Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doran. How to Read A Book, New York: Touchstone, 1972
W.J. Rosser - W.J. Rosser is a freelance novelist and education analyst from Orange County, California.
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