Quote:
Originally Posted by Kretzer
But how do you define "literary value"? Isn't the fact that people still appreciate a work after a long time some indicator? Many of today's bestsellers will be forgotten in a few years, I think (and rightly so in many cases ..)
LOTR may not show the subtlest use of narrative language, but it has the most amazing treatment of different languages and cultures, it draws widely on a lot of European myths and medieval literature.
So I wouldn't deny it "literary value", though I would be hard put to choose it as the one book of the century. Or choose any book.
If influence on other works is a valid factor, then certainly LOTR is very high on the list. I think "novelty" is indeed also a factor of literary value, that's why Gullivers Travels are still interesting these days.
In the end, this how the "books of the century" lists are made - if people think a book is important and should be on the list, it gets there. Depending on the type of the list, these people are some sorts of experts or the general public (the BBC list for example show what people actually like reading, not what the "experts" think they should read).
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Lord of the Rings has been around for a while, it's nearly 60 years old, there's no sign of it popularity fading. It seems that the word "entertainment" is spat like it is a curse. Is enjoying a book a sign that it is bad?
It is of course possible that Lord of the Rings will fade away, but if so, it won't do so for quite a long time. It has retained its popularity despite being sneered for decades, and is becoming more recognized as serious literature.