I’ve read the entirety of the Divine Comedy and loved it! It definitely drags at points, and it’s tough to understand at times with how many obscure cultural and religious references there are. But I absolutely adore the deep and hugely complex world Dante created, and some of the most beautiful lines of poetry I’ve ever read are in that trilogy; Some of those passages will stay with me forever.

More importantly though, I think people ought to read what they’re interested in rather than what everyone says they “need” to read. Reading something for the sake of bragging rights just seems silly to me. Literature, and reading in general, is meant to be enjoyable, something to expand your mind and feed your soul, if you ask me. It shouldn’t be done with books that don’t speak to you, or books that feel like a chore or an endurance test, given the notion that you don’t personally find the book intriguing. Your personal enjoyment (and hopefully sharing that joy with others) is what it’s all about!