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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I am not sure how to define 'literary value'. I am sure there are plenty of valid definitions.... and we could sit here all day arguing about it. Perhaps I'll try a stab at a definition later on. But I remember reading 'I Promessi Sposi' by Alessandro Manzoni - an Italian historical novel - in high school. And, in the intro, the author stated that his goal was to entertain the audience and, through entertainment, 'bait' them into learning something about the history of the country. That, to me, is true literature. Something that teaches us - about ourselves, about history, about human nature - perhaps while keeping us reading because the story is engaging.
Now, you can tell me that LOTR teaches us something. And every book does. And we obviously can disagree with the definition of 'literary value'.
But look at the statement we are debating. My answer was to a poster that stated that, of all books of the 20th century, LOTR will be remembered. We can debate whether LOTR has literary value, but claiming that it has a higher value than any other 20th century book, is, frankly, preposterous.
Should it be on a list of important works? Sure, I won't argue otherwise.