The Ancients vs the Moderns

by Giacomo Leopardi

Any literary work staking a serious claim to glory is not going to reveal itself entirely on a first reading. It will be better the second time around. And better still on third and even fourth readings. But who has time for this? The ancients could do it because they had so few books to read. These days, a writer's lucky if her work's read once.

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Giacomo Leopardi asks an interesting question: Is Literary Glory Worth Chasing?