Faust

Are you wondering if it's worth your while to read Goethe's Faust? Have you just seen the thousandth list of the greatest masterpieces of all time and feel bad that you haven't read this one yet?

My advice: no, don't read it. It's not worth it.

First of all, because this piece is reputedly untranslatable and sometimes simply incomprehensible even to Germans. Some subtleties are simply opaque to the average person and it is full of obscure references.

Second, if the myth struck a chord a few hundred years ago, the modern reader will certainly not be blown away by its originality. The story has already had its repercussions: for us, it's déjà vu.

And honestly, it's boring. I read it all the way through looking forward to getting to the end so I could finally check off my imaginary list. Then I realized that no one cares about this list. There are so many good books to read on this planet that frankly, I don't have time to waste.

There are certainly gems in this work. But it takes someone who is passionate and knowledgeable to guide us through it, otherwise we don't see anything. So if you don't have to read it in a literature class, forget it, and go read a summary somewhere instead.