Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Literary Excellence

What is literary excellence? Well, literary pertains to literature, which is the writing/reading of books, poems, essays, etc.. Excellence basically means to surpass, be superior to, or outdo others in the same area, in this case, literature.

So what makes for excellent literature? In my opinion, if a writer can master the basics of their writing form, e.g., setting, plot, character, etc. for fiction, and then imbue it with a creativity that makes the reader care about what they are reading, then they have gone above and beyond the norm into the realm of excellence. Many are those who can write a story. Few are those who can write something where the reader truly cares for, identifies or at least sympathizes with, the characters described by these little, black, squiggly lines thrown together into words and sentences. When an author can elicit an emotional attachment to the writing, then I'd consider that writing as literary excellence.

Who would I nominate for an award for literary excellence? J.K. Rowling. This author has almost single-handedly brought recreational reading back into the home, when paper-based literature seemed all but condemned to classrooms and estate sale libraries. What was it about the Harry Potter stories that struck such a chord in so many people? Literary excellence.

1 comment:

  1. J. K. Rowling is a good choice. Not only did she reignite the spark for reading among American children and adolescents, but she has mastered her writing. She is somehow able to make her writing easy for children to understand, yet beautiful enough for adults to admire. Her details and words of choice are impeccable.

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