A guidebook for those who want to cultivate literary taste—knowing how to recognize and benefit from books that are spiritually and aesthetically good.Literary expert Gene Veith helps book lovers better understand what they read as he explains how each major literary genre communicates. Showing how comedy, tragedy, realism, and fantasy can portray the Christian worldview, Veith delves into related topics such as the value of fairy tales, the tragic and the comic sense of life, the contrast between the classical and the Hebraic traditions, and the role of postmodernity (a subject of vital importance to Christians). Introducing readers to writers past and present, Veith helps Christians to influence culture from an educated perspective and get more out of their reading.Redesigned with a fresh look to appeal to today’s readersPromotes critical reading and the habit of reading with discernment in order to raise the cultural level of evangelicalismAppeals to a wide range of readers—those with little background in literature will learn techniques to help them read with greater understanding and those with more experience will appreciate Veith’s commentary on specific literary issues