Reading the book isn't being pretentious. I had to read Fahrenheit 451 when I was in high school, and it allowed me to think, but I don't use it in real life. I don't say anything like, "I've read 'x' book, and you haven't, I'm smarter than you by default." That's being a douchebag. It's the same thing with many classical literatures. They aren't supposed to make you look snobbish if you read them. They're supposed to make you think and incite discussion within groups (Or in this case, students).