Since 1917, a Pulitzer Prize has been awarded to one novel written by an author in the U.S. that focuses on life in the U.S. We’ll use the list of Pulitzer winners to explore what makes literature good, and what literature is good for. We’ll start with the most recent winner, The Goldfinch , by Donna Tartt, and work our way back, selectively, to the first winner, His Family , by Ernest Poole, published in 1917. Along the way, we’ll use Terry Eagleton’s book on literary theory to help us become better, more intentional readers.