Whiling away their leisure hours reading Goethe

I have seen this quote or story referenced a number of times but never tracked it down. It originates from Terry Eagleton, a British Marxist literary critic. I have not been able to track down the original article but have found it referenced here.

Eagleton is addressing the claim that literature is beneficial because hypothetically it boosts empathy and sociological awareness. I don't think his criticism is necessarily convincing but it is persuasive.

One of the traditional rationales for studying literature was, to put it crudely, that it made you a finer sort of person. This case suffered a severe setback when it was discovered that Nazi concentration camp commandants used to while away their leisure hours reading Goethe.