This book is a major credit to the literary criticism genre. This author dissects syntax and context around the time of the written works to further understand how important written and musical works have been to our culture. I love that she blended her experience growing up with history, societal norms, and how they all affected art, as art affected them. Her reflections on the lives of the authors, her family, and characters gave me a new insight into classic books. Makes me want to go reread some classics!