We’ve all heard about the classics and assume they’re

The need to be discerning

. The first demand that a story makes on us 

is surrender—surrender to the delights of being transported, of encountering 

experiences, characters, and settings, of considering the truth claims that an 

author makes by means of his or her story. But we must not be morally and intel-

lectually passive in the face of what an author puts before us. We need to be true 

to our own convictions as we weigh the morality and truth claims of a story. A 

story’s greatness does not guarantee that it tells the truth in every way.

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Original title page

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