That shared cultural experience can be a benefit, but even niche works can have that same feeling among small groups. Assuming your list is better than mine is egotistical.
At no point have I suggested that one thing is better or worse, and I have also acknowledged that this list changes over space and time. I can add the social context because I agree with you regarding small groups.
However, what ultimately matters is what is culturally influential—what shapes the worldview of our societies, even for those who are not directly aware of it. There are works, not just books but also music or films, that change our perspective on the world in the long term and do so by influencing all subsequent creators (at least in the mainstream). Being familiar with these works is important, and this doesn’t mean there aren’t brilliant works outside of this sphere—it’s just that their cultural impact is so significant that they deserve your attention.
I suppose I will not convince you from my point, but I want you to know that I appreciate an educated conversation that for once does not deal with politics or things like that. It is a pleasure to chat with someone and exchange points of view and even better do it than someone with whom you do not agree.
If everyone jumped off a cliff, would you too?
That shared cultural experience can be a benefit, but even niche works can have that same feeling among small groups. Assuming your list is better than mine is egotistical.
At no point have I suggested that one thing is better or worse, and I have also acknowledged that this list changes over space and time. I can add the social context because I agree with you regarding small groups.
However, what ultimately matters is what is culturally influential—what shapes the worldview of our societies, even for those who are not directly aware of it. There are works, not just books but also music or films, that change our perspective on the world in the long term and do so by influencing all subsequent creators (at least in the mainstream). Being familiar with these works is important, and this doesn’t mean there aren’t brilliant works outside of this sphere—it’s just that their cultural impact is so significant that they deserve your attention.
I suppose I will not convince you from my point, but I want you to know that I appreciate an educated conversation that for once does not deal with politics or things like that. It is a pleasure to chat with someone and exchange points of view and even better do it than someone with whom you do not agree.