The Most Overrated Classics You Were Forced to Read in High School (Ranker)

"They say there's no accounting for taste and overrated classic literature seems to prove as much. While critics, scholars, and your high shool English teacher may gushed over certain canonical works, you may look back at such novels and novellas with profound confusion. Were they really that good? Books become classics for a variety of reasons. Politics, privilege, and sometimes random chance help determine which texts stand the test of time. This means some books lauded as veritable epitomes of literary excellence may have just kind of lucked out. There are some books you shouldn't have to read in high school, regardless of how esteemed they may be. Given J.D. Saligner's shoddy reputation, do we really have to keep revisiting 'The Catcher in the Rye?' And while 'Beowulf' is one of the oldest stories ever told, the narrative is pretty uninteresting when you get down to it." - ranker.com