Which Classics Should You Read to Be "Well-Read"? [Teaser]

Summary

Book Riot - The Podcast: “Which Classics Should You Read to Be ‘Well-Read’?” [Teaser]

Release Date: March 25, 2025

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Introduction

Book Riot's Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky delve into the age-old question: Which classics should you read to be "well-read"? In this teaser episode, they explore the foundational texts that not only define literary excellence but also continue to influence contemporary storytelling and cultural discourse.

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Defining "Well-Read"

Jeff O’Neal opens the discussion by acknowledging the daunting task of defining what it means to be "well-read." He reflects on the balance between academic expertise and mainstream literary knowledge:

“I think the idea of well read is a more mainstream idea. Right. And there's a lot of academics that aren't well read in that particular field.”
— Jeff O’Neal [00:37]

Rebecca Schinsky concurs, sharing her personal journey through literary classics and the societal expectations tied to being a serious reader:

“My memory certainly of, like, becoming aware that people had this as an identity or as an aspiration was very tied to, like, that you could read and understand Shakespeare.”
— Rebecca Schinsky [01:43]

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Shakespeare: The Cornerstone of Literary Canon

A significant portion of the conversation centers around William Shakespeare's pivotal role in the literary canon. Both hosts agree that Shakespeare is often seen as the benchmark for literary prowess:

“If you want to be well read and maybe it's the first thing that we all get a whiff of as, like, that's what serious readers know about... it's hard to think of something that's more.”
— Rebecca Schinsky [01:43]

Jeff elaborates on the societal perception of well-read individuals, emphasizing Shakespeare's enduring relevance:

“If someone said I consider myself well read. Let's say they said that. And I said, have you read X? And they answered, no... have you read any Shakespeare... they'd say, no. I'd be like, huh.”
— Jeff O’Neal [03:21]

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The Enduring Legacy of the Odyssey and Iliad

The conversation transitions to classical Greek literature, with a particular focus on Homer's Odyssey and Iliad. Rebecca underscores the Odyssey's foundational impact on storytelling, citing its influence on modern narratives like The Lion King and the novel Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward:

“There are elements of the Odyssey in so much fiction over the last several hundred years, really several thousand years.”
— Rebecca Schinsky [06:03]

Jeff shares his personal preference for the Iliad, highlighting its emotional depth and pivotal moments:

“My single favorite moment in all of Western literature is book nine of the Iliad... Priam coming to Achilles to beg for his son's body.”
— Jeff O’Neal [07:50]

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Building a "Well-Read" Foundation: Zero to Well Read

Jeff introduces his "Zero to Well Read" initiative, a curated list designed to provide the most impactful literary works for those seeking to quickly build a robust literary foundation. He emphasizes the blend of historical significance and contemporary relevance in his selections:

“These are all contextual. This matters... what would be the hundred that would get you there the quickest?”
— Jeff O’Neal [04:17]

Rebecca adds to this by differentiating between classics and modern popular literature, clarifying that while works like Twilight are influential in their own right, they do not fall under the traditional definition of classics necessary for being well-read.

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Conclusion

Though brief, this teaser episode provides a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be "well-read." Jeff and Rebecca highlight the importance of classical literature in shaping modern narratives and cultural references, while also acknowledging the evolving nature of the literary canon. They invite listeners to delve deeper into these discussions through their premium content available on Patreon.

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Notable Quotes

• Jeff O’Neal [00:37]: “I think the idea of well read is a more mainstream idea... And there's a lot of academics that aren't well read in that particular field.”

• Rebecca Schinsky [01:43]: “It's hard to think of something that's more [than Shakespeare].”

• Jeff O’Neal [03:21]: “If someone said I consider myself well read... have you read any Shakespeare... I'd be like, huh.”

• Rebecca Schinsky [06:03]: “There are elements of the Odyssey in so much fiction over the last several hundred years, really several thousand years.”

• Jeff O’Neal [07:50]: “My single favorite moment in all of Western literature is book nine of the Iliad.”

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Further Listening

To access the full episode and additional premium content, become a patron at patreon.com/bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month.

Transcript

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Foreign. You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content in addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.

[Jeff O'Neal]

All right, so we've taken on an impossible task.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Um, rarely, like, rarely do I feel the gap of you have a PhD in English and I don't. But this was one where.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Well, I actually, I think that may. I mean, depends on what we're solving for. Like, I think you may have a better sense of it because we're. I think people. I think the idea of well read is a more mainstream idea. Right. And there's a lot of academics that aren't well read in that particular field. Right. Like, they just, they. They're much more. I have a lot more literary history, but I'm going to over index on Thucydides. You hear what I'm saying?

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, I do remember slogging my way through the history of the Peloponnesian.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Yeah, you do.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Could not tell you anything that happens.

[Jeff O'Neal]

The Ring of Gyges, Solon, Croesus.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

You're just making sounds now.

[Jeff O'Neal]

No, that. That's all real. That's all real. So I think you may have a better calibration for what people understand in the. In the general sense, which is kind of the game here.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

But, yeah, we'll meet in the middle.

[Jeff O'Neal]

We'll meet in the middle. So I have 10. We took Shakespeare off the board. And do we even need to say anything about that? Is that controversial at all to say that we would both have Shakespeare number one? We're not. Mine aren't power ranked after this. I should.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

No, yeah, mine aren't ranked either. But I think Shakespeare is the mark of, like, what we think about is literature. Like, if you want to be well read and maybe it's the first thing that we all get a whiff of as, like, that's what serious readers know about, whether that's true or not. For being a serious reader, my memory certainly of, like, becoming aware that people had this as an identity or as an aspiration was very tied to, like, that you could read and understand Shakespeare. Like, the language is different. They're plays, they're not novels. There's going to be some work to do. And so many of the storylines have become foundational through fiction ever since Shakespeare. Like, I was joking on the main feed. Maybe you need to read Hamlet, to understand the Lion King, maybe you need to have, like, understood King Lear. To watch succession, you don't have to, but it certainly enriches it. Not to mention all, like, little turns of phrase that we use. Like, if you ever said, somebody's in a pickle, you owe that to Shakespeare. It's hard to think of something that's more. Right.

[Jeff O'Neal]

It's amazing. Yeah. The way I kind of thought about was this is like, I think for every other author book, if someone said, I consider myself well read. Let's say they said that. And I said, have you read X? And they answered, no, I wouldn't really bat an eye if I said, you can see yourself well read. And they say, yes. I said, have you read any Shakespeare, seen any? They said, no. I'd be like, huh. You know, I'm not saying. I'm not saying I'm right. I would be like, huh, I wonder about that.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, that's a. That's an interesting way to think about it. And so you're indexing for the like amount of, well, what gets you the most bang for your. Well read the most.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Well, the most bang for your buck. Yeah. And I think Shakespeare gets you.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I thought, I thought more about kind of a survey course in literature in like, the greats in classics of what would get you a solid foundation both for understanding kind of the geography of classic literature or what we think of as the canon, but also especially the things that I'll start with are things that works, that are referenced in just tons of other work that comes after them. And so having familiarity with the source gives you a deeper, A deeper access to an additional work than someone who, you know, doesn't have that. Not that you can't enjoy those books anyway, but knowing that that's a reference and where it comes from will give you a greater understanding.

[Jeff O'Neal]

And I, I also. So I used to do this thing for the site, which, again, stay tuned. You may hear things of it like this in the future, called Zero to well read, where I said, you know, basically this. If you had nothing, you're an alien dropped in North America at this moment of time. I should say the United States specifically at this moment in time. These are all contextual. This matters. There is no universal or even global or hemispheric or lingual sort of hegemony about it. You know, what would be the hundred that would get you there the quickest? And I tend to over index in that too. There are more modern things and more popular things, and it depends on the moment, like, I had, I think, 50 shades when that came out. Or maybe there's Twilight or maybe both of them. Right. Because what I was looking was sort of a felicity with both the history of literature and what's going on right now. This is probably more contemporary than a normal great course. A great books course would be. I've taught some of those things. I have many more modern things, but I don't have a lot of modern stuff. I don't have anything published in the last 30 years, I don't think on my list.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Yeah, that's kind of where I went as well. Like, since the question from one of the Patreon members and I scrolled back through Patreon, I could not figure out who asked this. So if you asked us to do an episode on classics being well read, like, please raise your hand and we can thank you or blame you for it. But the question was specifically about classics, and I took a broad understanding of classics. But that it did, like Twilight does not qualify here. Where if we were talking about what you need to have read to be grounded in an understanding of, like, modern reading, I would say you probably should read Twilight.

[Jeff O'Neal]

All right, with that. Let's do some. Mine are in. Mine are in chronological order.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Mine are kind of in chronological order. I can start. We can start with the oldies, right?

[Jeff O'Neal]

Go.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Okay. I think you need to read the Odyssey, where you can cheat and pair it with the Iliad, like template for the hero journey. Lots of mythology and tons of books and movies have built on this story. Like, in recent memory, we got Circe and oh, Brother, where Art Thou Built on the Odyssey. But there are elements of the Odyssey in so much fiction over the last several hundred years, really several thousand years. But, like, stuff you're reading today is drawing on the Odyssey, Jesmyn Ward's novel, where the family is taking the road trip. And I can never remember what the title of that one is.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Right.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Sing Unburyed Singing, yes, is a loose retelling of the Odyssey. And Sing Unburied Sing is a quote from the Odyssey. Like, you could read that Jesmyn Ward novel and just enjoy what she's doing without knowing anything about the Odyssey. Knowing that that's a line. But you get a little extra juice if you can make that allusion. I think it's really foundational. And it was one of the. Like, I took this. One of the best course I took in college was my first two semesters was a, like, multidisciplinary seminar, and we read the Odyssey, and I Remember being like, this is so old. Like, what is this going to do for me? Here we are getting ready for hot Greek summer 20 years later.

[Jeff O'Neal]

Yeah, I agree.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

I didn't want to take the Iliad because I thought you would talk about the Iliad.

[Jeff O'Neal]

I have a couple of. Choose one or the other. Like, okay, I have a couple of the Odyssey or the Iliad. I think you pick one.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Okay.

[Jeff O'Neal]

I think the Odyssey has more illusions. So using your own rubric. That's. That's so nice for you that you pick that. Iliad is the better book. It's. The more.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Well, yeah, it's.

[Jeff O'Neal]

The more enduring it has. A few of. My favorite. My single favorite moment in all of Western literature is book nine of the Iliad. I also will tear up thinking about Priam coming to Achilles to beg for his son's body at the end and the Aristae of Nisa and Patroclus taking up Achilles armor and going like, there's just. I think there's so much more interesting than most of the thing that happens in the bulk of the Odyssey, which is still interesting, but it's a lot of, like, look at this weird thing. So it's. It's a better read if you're like 14. It's easier to get through, and it certainly was for me. But as a grown person and more of a student and like, coming from a different point of view. And again, it so much depends on the translation and state of mind the Iliad is. If I have to save one thing, I'm probably saving the Iliad. And I'm sorry, Billy Shakes, but I'm probably selling saving the Iliad there. And, you know, some of these have to stand in for whole swaths. Like, this is essentially the entire ancient world is. This is what stands in on my list, like, really 750bc up until, well, depending how you think about it, you know, for another millennia.

[Rebecca Schinsky]

Thanks so much for listening. Join [e-mail] Book Riot podcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriot podcast.