"Reading the Western canon will not make you morally better, but it will open your mind to an inheritance of genius—an array of wisdom, vision, and imagination that can guide, challenge, and illuminate your understanding of the world." - Harold Bloom
As we enter 2025, we’re thrilled to present this year’s Literary Canon Club reading list—an invitation to explore some of the greatest works of Western literature. Whether you’re a busy professional who wants to enrich your mind with classic short stories or you’re ready to immerse yourself in epic masterpieces, there’s a place for you in the Canon Club.
Why the Canon?
Great literature doesn’t just entertain; it expands our understanding of life and culture. Think of the Canon Club as a “gym for the brain”—a place to exercise your intellect and train your mind in critical thinking. By engaging with timeless texts, you’ll acquire perspective on foundational ideas, develop deeper empathy, and navigate complex moral and philosophical questions. As John Locke once said of Cervantes’ Don Quixote: “Of all the books of fiction, I know none that equals Cervantes’s history of Don Quixote in usefulness, pleasantry and constant decorum.”
In reading these works, you’re not merely turning pages: you’re stepping into minds and worlds that have shaped centuries of thought. The literature of the West—from Homer to Eliot—has played a pivotal role in building our cultural foundations. To understand or preserve what’s best in our heritage, reading the original texts that influenced it is key.
A Reading Experience That Fits Your LifeWorried about time? Our reading plan is designed for busy people. Choose from two tiers of membership:
Standard Canon Club: Monthly gatherings to discuss American short stories. This format is perfect for those who want intense literary flavor in a small package. Dive into the heart of American storytelling with authors like Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe. Each short story stands as a concentrated masterpiece, reflecting the American ethos in a condensed form.
Premium Canon Club: Ready for a deeper challenge? Premium members tackle larger works over several months. You’ll also gain access to the Standard Club discussions, resources, and community.
The 2025 Reading ScheduleStandard Club (Monthly):
A curated selection of American short stories celebrating the nation’s literary heritage. Given that 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution, it’s fitting to turn to classics like “Rip Van Winkle,” “Young Goodman Brown,” “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” and “Paul Revere’s Ride” to see how literature shapes and echoes a nation’s identity.
Premium Club:
January–April: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes.
Faulkner read it every year; Locke praised it above other fictions. This novel invites you to question reality, embrace idealism, and contemplate where madness and nobility intersect. As one of its quotes suggests, “Too much sanity may be madness—and maddest of all: to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
May–July: Three Shakespeare Plays (Julius Caesar, Hamlet, King Lear).
Shakespeare’s words remain as vital now as ever. “The purpose of playing,” Shakespeare wrote, “is to hold, as ’twere, the mirror up to nature.” These plays confront issues of power, honor, betrayal, mortality, and love—universal themes that speak across time.
August–December: Middlemarch by George Eliot.
Virginia Woolf called Middlemarch “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.” It’s a quiet masterpiece that elevates ordinary lives into epic narratives of moral choice, empathy, and consequence. Eliot reminds us that “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view.” In an era starving for understanding, this book helps cultivate compassion and intellectual flexibility.
Join a Lively CommunityBooks aren’t meant to be read in isolation—at least not all the time. At the Canon Club, you’ll find a supportive forum, live discussions, and a community of “canoneers” eager to exchange insights and debate interpretations. You’ll receive reading schedules, motivational emails, and supplementary materials to help you stay on track and get the most out of every text.
Make 2025 Your Year of Great BooksIn a world often dominated by quick takes and shallow commentary, immersing yourself in the classics can feel like an act of intellectual renewal. Engaging with the canon is about more than just reading “important” books. It’s about forging meaningful connections—to the past, to enduring questions, and to fellow readers who value thoughtful discourse.
The Canon Club’s 2025 lineup offers a balanced, rich journey. Whether you choose the quick yet powerful short stories of the Standard tier or commit to the monumental works in the Premium tier, you’ll enrich your understanding of the world and, ultimately, of yourself.
Ready to Begin?
Sign up at https://www.troubadour.studio/reading-list-and-schedulefor more information, schedules, and membership details. Step into 2025 with a promise to read, reflect, and join a community devoted to discovering why these works still resonate. As Don Quixote himself suggests, “Who knows where madness lies?” Perhaps it’s in neglecting the richest literary treasures available—and wisdom is found in daring to pick them up.
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