What constitutes good literature?

[Shaun]

So, in your opinion, what makes literature 'good'. Is it style? Plot? Story? What? What makes literature good to you?

(When I say good I mean really good, as in books you would want to see taught in classrooms and the like. Not simplistic formulaic books like The Da Vinci Code or things like that. Not popcorn fiction)

[Rafael Domination]

I say the perfect balance between pure action and philisophy, plot and spontaneous incidents, unique twists and cliche, with good characters and flow...

[Crocolyle]

Interesting characters.

[Shaun]

Care to explain that a little more Crocolyle?

[Crocolyle]

Of course. I'd also like to revise it and include pacing. Though an interesting, solid plot is useful and so is skillful writing, I think good pacing and interesting characters are probably the most important aspects of a story, at least for me. For example, look at the Kite Runner. Not to say that it's poorly written (it's fairly well written), but Khaled Hosseini is not a masterful stylist and is prone to using cliche and awkward similes and metaphors and while his plots are interesting they tend to be unrealistic and cliche. Yet, interesting, flawed characters makes up for this, and this coupled with good pacing makes for an interesting read and a great, moving story, even if the plot and the actual writing don't blow you away.

I personally think that the detail put into the characters is probably the most important aspect of the story. (This may be moving a little away from the topic but) Authors who put a lot of detail in the characters tend be extremely successful, such as J. K. Rowling, Stephen King, and Harper Lee.

On a side note, this might just be me, because a lot of my friends read H. P. Lovecraft while I'm not that big of a fan. His stories tend to be very descriptive and have an excellent creepy atmosphere, but his characters are flat and dull for the most part and there is virtually no dialogue or really even character interaction. While I have read a lot of stories of his, like The Doom that Came to Sarnath, The Tomb, and Call of Cthulhu, I don't think they're particularly good or particularly interesting, mainly because of the weakness in characterization.

I mean, good writing/style, plot, structure, and all that are very important and masterful characterization can't stand up on its own, I think characterization, at least in my opinion, is the most important aspect of any story.

[jordanisonfire]

I say basically what Rafael says. I like to read stories with very little cliché parts in the plot, but, of course, that's rather hard to manage these days. I know what is cliché but my novel is so cliché at the beginning I can't even see how I'm going to get people not to put it down after the first chapter.

[Shaun]

That is an excellent description Croc. That's something I'm having a little problem with in the novella I'm writing. The world is really intense, because it's completely imaginary and constructed, but the character is going to need more fleshing out, which also becomes a problem because of length. I need to add more to this character...gah. Darn you for making me realize this...

[Andy]

I like to see a mix of thoughtful content, a good solid plot, and a story where it doesn't seem like that author is trying to ram something down your throat. That's what I look for in TV shows, too.

Thoughtful content: I don't like mindless fighting, or plots where it seems like the author started thinking about what to do in the next chapter in the one before it. :D I'd like action and mild violence, but for a good reason, and one that I care about.

Good solid plot, too. One where it's clear the author has thought out everything in great detail, put in lots of neat little clues about what will happen, and things which, when seen, may not seem important, but will be eventually. That's something Rowling was famous for. I want a plot that I haven't seen before, and one where all things have a purpose. None of that visiting random insignificant towns and describing them all in great detail, when something much more interesting could have been put in instead. The characters should all have slightly different motives, too. And no unbelievable things or Deus Ex Machinas! None of that meeting a poor boy in a town, taking him with you, and then realizing he's your brother! :rolleyes: Not unless there's an explanation. Etc, etc.

No ramming stuff down my throat. If you've got messages to convey, do it in a way that's conveyed by the plot. Big paragraphs about philosophy or religion which seem more directed at me than the characters are things I don't buy.

And that's it. LOTR, 1984, Harry Potter, and countless others all qualify. Everyone should read those.

[Rafael Domination]

I tend to use cliche as a way to catch my readers off guard. You think you got everything figured out, and then it hits you...

That's another technique that that draws me in...

[Eve]

I use plenty of excitement and humour. Some words and sentences are constructed to make you want to know what happens to the character. They compel the readers forward. Like for fear, I use short sentences and 'loud' words.