An Investigation of Literary Greatness: Still a Battle of the Sexes :: Argumentative Persuasive Literature Essays

An Investigation of Literary Greatness Still a involution of the SexesI am an experienced writer and have some sense whether an idea can work or not...I wasnt sure it would work and I really belief about it for nine months before I put pen to paper. But I didnt feel intimidated by Melvilles accomplishment. I felt inspired by it. Naslund quoted by Jamie Allen (CNN Interactive Senior Writer)(1999)For most people the mention of great literary productions stirs up the classic images of such authors as Shakespeare, Twain, Hemmingway, Salinger, Fitzgerald, and Melville among many others. Without belittling those rattling talented authors I would like to question their superiority over lesser acclaimed or widely known authors. What makes great literature and who gets to decide what qualifies? Perhaps a book such as Ahabs Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund could be a greater book than its famous precursor, Herman Melvilles Moby Dick. But who can hotshot say that one book is greater than another ? In the end the question of greatness comes down to who is measuring it.Well first off, what does it mean to be great at anything? Perhaps it means to have succeeded gracefully at whatever goal there was in mind. Perhaps it is to be liked by others, or to be meaningful. Perhaps it is represented by being carried on through time. Or perhaps greatness is whatever people make it to be and can neer be fully defined. Most likely any or all of those things contribute to greatness. Given a flexible definition of greatness, what is great literature? Is it literature that has meaning (doesnt it all), invokes thought, is it defined by being likable, or achieving the authors goal, is it marked by the span of time and influence that the story has, or is a broad equivalence encompassing any or all, perhaps even none, of those characteristics?Many would say that Melvilles Moby Dick is great literature. Moby Dick is a classic novel that surely has had, and continues to have, a huge influence on the collective evolution of writing and literary thought. Melvilles story of madness and obsession combined with his realistic old English sort of writing has been mimicked and transformed to give rise to hundreds, possibly thousands, of new stories and an infinite number of thoughts have been born. There is no question that Moby Dick has been a real influential book. Does that mean its great?