The vast majority of published material doesn’t stay in print. The stuff from centuries past that is still readily available, actively discussed and referenced, and still exerting influence on our culture are not doing so because of their age but in spite of their age. Time has a great filtering effect. You’re not obligated to like, for example, Moby Dick, but if you think people still talk about it only because it’s old, then you have things precisely backwards. Which is why it’s worth putting in the effort to learn to read books that otherwise seem archaic and strange: the only reason you’re aware of their existence is because so many people over so many generations have continued to find something of value there.