Should Literature be Considered Useful?
It is perhaps not widely known that the late Robin Williams inspired many to turn to the teaching profession following his performance as John Keating, the inspirational, if unconventional teacher in Dead Poets Society (1989). In an early scene, Williams instructs his class to rip out the preface of a textbook titled Understanding Poetry written by Dr. J. Evans Pritchard. Keating says to his class, "excrement. That's...