Till America has learned to love literature not as an amusement, not as mere doggerel to memorize in a college room, but for its humanizing and ennobling energy, my dear reverend president, she will not have succeeded in that high sense which alone makes a nation out of a people. That which raises it from a dead name to a living power.
In Matthew Pearl's "The Dante Club," the author expresses the idea that for America to truly thrive as a nation, it must cultivate a profound appreciation for literature. Rather than viewing it simply as entertainment or a set of trivial verses to be learned, literature should be recognized for its ability to elevate and transform society. This understanding is essential for a nation to progress from being merely a name to...
