What makes a book a "Great Book"

Ralph Sir Edward · 10-08-2008, 07:57 PM

After having recently read the 2005 time list of 100 greatest books, I came to the conclusion that such list are more about the tastes of the contributors rather than true "greatness". Therefore, I decided to open a thread to talk what make a book "great". So pitch out your best definitions, and feel free to use Authors and Titles as examples. I hope a fine time will be had by all.

My overriding definition for a "great book" is it has to be entertaining. Books whose main purpose seems to be showing the abstruse, obscure, diction and grammar habits of an author the the expense of providing entertainment don't qualify in my book, no matter how skillfully done.

hidari · 10-08-2008, 09:08 PM

Found this in Wikipedia:

Great Books refers to a curriculum and a book list. Mortimer Adler lists three criteria for including a book on the list:

* the book has contemporary significance; that is, it has relevance to the problems and issues of our times;
* the book is inexhaustible; it can be read again and again with benefit;
* the book is relevant to a large number of the great ideas and great issues that have occupied the minds of thinking individuals for the last 25 centuries.

--(Adler, "Second Look", pg 142)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

After having recently read the 2005 time list of 100 greatest books, I came to the conclusion that such list are more about the tastes of the contributors rather than true "greatness". Therefore, I decided to open a thread to talk what make a book "great". So pitch out your best definitions, and feel free to use Authors and Titles as examples. I hope a fine time will be had by all.

My overriding definition for a "great book" is it has to be entertaining. Books whose main purpose seems to be showing the abstruse, obscure, diction and grammar habits of an author the the expense of providing entertainment don't qualify in my book, no matter how skillfully done.

BookishDreamer · 10-08-2008, 09:10 PM

For me, a great book is one that I'm reluctant to finish because I don't want the experience to end.

Dreamer

slayda · 10-08-2008, 09:24 PM

A great book is one that when you finish it, your mind is still in it and wants more.

Seabound · 10-08-2008, 09:40 PM

For me, a great work of literary fiction would mean great storytelling (the plot can be simple), a deep insight into human nature, and an excellent imagination. The storytelling has to blend seamlessly with language that is exquisite without sounding strained or contrived, and with the appropriate tone and pace to set the mood. With these elements, I think even the most far-fetched story would be believable, and the most commonplace would be remarkable.

HappyMartin · 10-09-2008, 01:29 AM

The greatness is in your mind, not the book. It is entirely subjective in other words.

radioflyertoo · 10-09-2008, 08:01 AM

A great book is a book that encompasses all the dreams, ideas, bias and life experience that you deem relevent within your frame of existance and does so in an entertaining and intriguing manner, such that you wish it would never end.
The Lord of the Rings comes to mind since, to me, it is the penultimate battle between good and evil and addresses, again to me, the above.

Slite · 10-09-2008, 08:05 AM

Isn't what makes a book great kind of a subjective thing?

Sort of like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?

I mean, a book that I consider great the next person might find it one of the suckiest pieces of camelid excrement ever.

So, making up a list of "great books" is meaningless IMHO.

astra · 10-09-2008, 10:41 AM

If you want to re-read a book and sawor the details.
It is a sign of book's greatness for me.

cassidym · 10-09-2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BookishDreamer

For me, a great book is one that I'm reluctant to finish because I don't want the experience to end.

Dreamer

I'm with BookishDreamer on this one. I find myself deliberately reading slowly just to prolong the pleasure.

Seabound · 10-09-2008, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by astra

If you want to re-read a book and sawor the details.
It is a sign of book's greatness for me.

I would agree. I think, also, that great literary works stand the test of time.

bbusybookworm · 10-09-2008, 09:10 PM

What Makes a Great Book?

Hmm....

One which makes you want to start reading it again as soon as you finish it

One which keeps you thinking about it long after you put it down.

One that you can enjoy even if you don't enjoy the genre usually.

One you can recommend to someone who's reading habits have little in common with yours and both of you can still enjoy it.

One that even if you don't enjoy, makes you look at the world in a very different way.

One which is timeless in its essence, so is as enjoyable in 50 years as it is now.

Thats all that comes to my mind right now.

Barcey · 10-09-2008, 11:00 PM

I think that a great book is:
- enjoyable
- challenges conventional thinking
- makes you fell like you are better for having read it
- makes you think about it long after you've finished it
- is complete but makes you want to re-read it.

Rohinton Mistery's "A Fine Balance" is a book that comes to mind even though it was an Oprah book of the month pick.

RWood · 10-10-2008, 12:07 AM

There are several classes of great books. (Easy for me to say.)

One class would be books that changed the world or a major part of it. Aside from books like the Bible and the Koran, I would place Darwin's Origins in this group.

The next class would be books that impacted the thought process. These would include Plato's, Augustine's, and Voltaire's works for example.

The third are books that just tell a story. Ken Kesey is a prime example of this area. Who has not read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion without being emotion.

The common theme here is that a great book reaches inside of you and touches something. You come out on the other end a better person.

HarryT · 10-12-2008, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slite

Isn't what makes a book great kind of a subjective thing?

Sort of like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?

I mean, a book that I consider great the next person might find it one of the suckiest pieces of camelid excrement ever.

So, making up a list of "great books" is meaningless IMHO.

I think there are some authors whom it's generally agreed are "great", regardless of whether or not one personally enjoys them. I'd include in that list such authors as Plato, Shakespeare, and Dickens.

There's a difference, I think, between "great" books (in which the greatness might be said to be "inherent") and books which one personally enjoys reading. Eg, I enjoy reading "Harry Potter", but it certainly isn't "great literature". On the other hand, I also enjoy reading "The Lord of the Rings" which many people might say is, in that it was basically the origin of a whole new literary genre.

10-08-2008, 07:57 PM	#1
Ralph Sir Edward Gentleman & Cynic Posts: 4,837 Karma: 7205202 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: 5 generation native Texan Device: BeBook/Openinkpot, CYbook 3rd gen awaiting RTF software upgrade	What makes a book a "Great Book" After having recently read the 2005 time list of 100 greatest books, I came to the conclusion that such list are more about the tastes of the contributors rather than true "greatness". Therefore, I decided to open a thread to talk what make a book "great". So pitch out your best definitions, and feel free to use Authors and Titles as examples. I hope a fine time will be had by all. My overriding definition for a "great book" is it has to be entertaining. Books whose main purpose seems to be showing the abstruse, obscure, diction and grammar habits of an author the the expense of providing entertainment don't qualify in my book, no matter how skillfully done. __________________ Another proud Tarnover graduate! Remember, no matter what they say, people don't want the truth, just their prejudices reinforced. -RSE

10-08-2008, 09:24 PM	#4
slayda Retired & reading more! Posts: 2,700 Karma: 871861 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: North Alabama, USA Device: EZ Reader, Kindle 1, NookColor, iPad 4, iPhone 5	A great book is one that when you finish it, your mind is still in it and wants more. __________________ "People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for" - Harper Lee

10-08-2008, 09:40 PM	#5
Seabound Steerage Class Posts: 711 Karma: 505995 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest, USA Device: Won't fit here anymore, see sig for a list of liseuses.	For me, a great work of literary fiction would mean great storytelling (the plot can be simple), a deep insight into human nature, and an excellent imagination. The storytelling has to blend seamlessly with language that is exquisite without sounding strained or contrived, and with the appropriate tone and pace to set the mood. With these elements, I think even the most far-fetched story would be believable, and the most commonplace would be remarkable. __________________ Image: One Hundred Years Ago 1805-1905 (1905), by Albert W. Holden; Thomas McLean. © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. eBook readers: Palm m500, eBookwise, iPod Touch, Sony PRS-505, Sony Clie TH-55, SmartQ V7, Ectaco jetBook Lite, SmartQ V5-II, Sony PRS-350

10-09-2008, 01:29 AM	#6
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,431 Karma: 6517492 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	The greatness is in your mind, not the book. It is entirely subjective in other words. __________________ I am all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Lets start with typewriters. -Frank Lloyd Wright

10-09-2008, 08:01 AM	#7
radioflyertoo Hog Rider Posts: 266 Karma: 1581 Join Date: May 2008 Location: eastern PA. Device: HTC 7501	A great book is a book that encompasses all the dreams, ideas, bias and life experience that you deem relevent within your frame of existance and does so in an entertaining and intriguing manner, such that you wish it would never end. The Lord of the Rings comes to mind since, to me, it is the penultimate battle between good and evil and addresses, again to me, the above. __________________ Bob Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein. Time Flies Like an arrow, fruit flies like banana - Groucho Marx

10-08-2008, 09:10 PM	#3
BookishDreamer Cultural Artist Posts: 1,127 Karma: 11995 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Georgia Device: Sony 505, Kindle 2	For me, a great book is one that I'm reluctant to finish because I don't want the experience to end. Dreamer

10-09-2008, 08:05 AM	#8
Slite Icanhasdonuts? Posts: 2,835 Karma: 532407 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bålsta, Sweden Device: BeBook x 2 (Hanlin V3 rebrand), Samsung Omnia	Isn't what makes a book great kind of a subjective thing? Sort of like "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? I mean, a book that I consider great the next person might find it one of the suckiest pieces of camelid excrement ever. So, making up a list of "great books" is meaningless IMHO. __________________ Jesus saves, Allah forgives, Cthulhu thinks you'd make a nice sandwich. Minister of The Large Dogs Of Infinite Peace And Absurdity. Last edited by Slite; 10-09-2008 at 10:47 AM.

10-09-2008, 10:41 AM	#9
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,308 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	If you want to re-read a book and sawor the details. It is a sign of book's greatness for me. __________________ Only Two Things Are Infinite, The Universe and Human Stupidity, and I'm Not Sure About The Former. Albert Einstein Saving the Planet

10-09-2008, 09:10 PM	#12
bbusybookworm Tech Junkie Posts: 1,027 Karma: 10080 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: UK / Egypt / India Device: PSR500,Gen3, iPhone3G, PPro, iPad , Samsung Galaxy S2	What Makes a Great Book? Hmm.... One which makes you want to start reading it again as soon as you finish it One which keeps you thinking about it long after you put it down. One that you can enjoy even if you don't enjoy the genre usually. One you can recommend to someone who's reading habits have little in common with yours and both of you can still enjoy it. One that even if you don't enjoy, makes you look at the world in a very different way. One which is timeless in its essence, so is as enjoyable in 50 years as it is now. Thats all that comes to my mind right now. __________________ ~~~Wiki - Where to buy E Readers~~~ ~~~BBusyBookworms Broodings~~~

10-09-2008, 11:00 PM	#13
Barcey Wizard Posts: 1,078 Karma: 2675390 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Canada Device: PocketBook 301+/Cybook GEN3 /iPod Touch	I think that a great book is: - enjoyable - challenges conventional thinking - makes you fell like you are better for having read it - makes you think about it long after you've finished it - is complete but makes you want to re-read it. Rohinton Mistery's "A Fine Balance" is a book that comes to mind even though it was an Oprah book of the month pick.

10-10-2008, 12:07 AM	#14
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,237 Karma: 148834 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	There are several classes of great books. (Easy for me to say.) One class would be books that changed the world or a major part of it. Aside from books like the Bible and the Koran, I would place Darwin's Origins in this group. The next class would be books that impacted the thought process. These would include Plato's, Augustine's, and Voltaire's works for example. The third are books that just tell a story. Ken Kesey is a prime example of this area. Who has not read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion without being emotion. The common theme here is that a great book reaches inside of you and touches something. You come out on the other end a better person. __________________ We've all gotten crazier to keep from going sane.

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