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Originally Posted by HarryT
Thanks for quoting that, Tommy. All very valid points.
I do see Pratchett's books becoming well-loved classics in the same way as, to pick a random example, C.S. Lewis's "Narnia" books are, and J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" books are almost certainly destined to be. There is, however, (to my mind at least) a clear distinction between a popular classic such as Narnia, Harry Potter, or Discworld, and a recognition that the author of such books is a "great writer", in the sense that Dickens, Shakespeare, or Austen are recognised as great writers. Would you not recognise that distinction yourself?
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If you read the whole article you see:
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From the plays of William Shakespeare, through the novels of the Bronte sisters, the social novels of Charles Dickens, the scientific romances of H. G. Wells, virtually every work of literature that becomes recognized as a classic was conceived and written in the first place for a popular audience. The only exception to this that I can think of is the work of James Joyce, which has achieved classic status without a groundswell of popular support.
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Dickens, Shakespear and Austen were popular authors that wrote popular books. And I see no distinction between Dickens, Austen and Pratchett here.