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For these reasons, Christians who reject literature that is not overtly "Christian" do themselves a great disservice. Most literature of the past is written from a Christian world view and is highly moral. Such works can be invaluable in helping us deepen our understanding of life; they can help us develop a moral and Christian approach to the trials that beset us. Literature, like classical music, also has the ability to refine the soul, making it more receptive to Divine impressions.

Granted, literature, like classical music or opera, can be hard to understand at first. It's an acquired taste, yet one well worth cultivating. For the sake of our children's minds, hearts, and souls, we need to take the time to help them acquire this taste. The benefits are well worth whatever effort we might make. Good writing is a great joy that can bring untold riches to the human soul.

When I first saw the Mediterranean Sea as an adult, it was a strangely moving moment for me. Why? The wave patterns and shoreline formation are about the same as the Atlantic Ocean I visited frequently as a child. The answer is that for me, it was portentous as Ulysses' "wine-dark sea." It held fascination as the site of the Punic Wars and the arena of Phoenician sailing ships. It was precious as the site of Saint Paul's missionary voyages. My knowledge of Scripture and literature greatly enhanced my trip. I enjoyed it a thousandfold more than I would have otherwise.

Are students turning away from literature and the classics because we are, in fact, raising a generation of intellectual Dufflepuds? Or is it simply because much of what they're reading is one-dimensional and tasteless? We'll never know unless we take the time and effort to inspire them to take the time and effort. We'll never know unless we raise them from pop culture, to that which ennobles and endures.

Sarah Cowie is a writer living in Eugene, Oregon. Her book More Spirited Than Lions: An Orthodox Response to Feminism, will be published by Regina Press later this year.

Visit Books & Culture online at BooksandCulture.comBooks & Culture Corner appears Mondays at ChristianityToday.com. Earlier Books & Culture Corners include:

Spring in Purgatory: Dante, Botticelli, C. S. Lewis, and a Lost Masterpiece | The most popular illustration of Dante's "Divine Comedy" has remained effectively "lost" for 500 years—although millions have seen it and admired it. By Kathryn Lindskoog (Feb. 7, 2000)

Playwright, Dissident, Czech President … Who Is This Man? | A new biography of Václav Havel fills in important blanks, but omits his theology. By Jim Sire (Jan. 31, 2000)

An Open Letter to the U. S. Black Religious, Intellectual, and Political Leadership Regarding AIDS and the Sexual Holocaust in Africa (Jan. 24, 2000)

Tony Blair's Devolution Revolution | Paving the way for peace in the United Kingdom. By Michael LeRoy (Jan. 17, 2000)

Loving the Alien, in Sickness and in Health | Too many recipients of health care today feel neither tolerated nor entitled, let alone loved. By Diane Komp (Jan. 10, 2000)

The New York Review of Books recently published a similar article. "The Decline and Fall of Literature," by Andrew Delbanco, appeared in the magazine's November 4, 1999 issue.

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February (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44