The Western literary canon has come to epitomize the official—and sometimes controversial—list of works that every educated person should know. Among its more than 3,000 works are the Odyssey, Beowulf, Hamlet, and War and Peace—all of which have stood the test of time to become essential aspects of Western culture and our reading lives. Even if you haven’t read some of them, you’ve undoubtedly heard of them—their mere titles are synonymous with greatness.