David Denby, a writer and critic for New York magazine, returned to college at age 48 for the sole purpose of taking the two core literature courses required of all freshmen. Tired of the continuing debate over the legitimacy of the Western canon—and of life in the insular bubble of the media—Denby addresses both elements of his personal dilemma, reading the classics for critical and analytical reasons as well as for the sheer joy of reading. It's this two-pronged approach that makes Great Books a wonderful read; at the heart of Denby's experience is his affirmation that reading is a great good in and of itself, and that one can read in a way that loves the text and ignores the subtext. More than just a discussion of literature, it's a journal of Denby's entire adult-student year, complete with classroom discussions and impassioned professorial speeches. In the end, the reader isn't expected to draw any conclusions on the question of the canon, but it hardly seems important: Great Books is intelligent testimony for the joy and power of all great literature.