Great Literature

1. Stimulates thought about life
2. Arouses emotion
3. Kindles the imagination
4. Has the power to survive.

I was taught this years ago in college. Do your books qualify as great literature?

Have you read Ghost Orchid or any of the reviews? It meets all four criteria, though "the power to survive" is a long term measure.

Ghost Orchid stimulates thought about life with the underlying theme, "Is love eternal?" It explores family relationships and the impact of secrets and the finer points of friendship and romantic love. The yearning for roots is a key theme.

It kindles the imagination through a mystery that unfolds, one coincidence at a time in one of the most exquisitely beautiful places in the world, the Florida Everglades, in the aura of one of the most famous orchids in the world, the ghost orchid.

The book is a timeless as the Eveglades and the ghost orchid. Its themes are universal and also timeless.

Thanks, Alice, for the thought-provoking thread.

I forgot to add its genre classification is fiction/literature

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I think you write wonderful books.

I am not certain that a text qualifies as "great literature" unless a piece of great literature is used as a text. I can attest that I use LC"s book for a Coffee Table book - it is lovely. It's also a good teaching tool; if I was teaching in that field I would find it useful.

DK, Thanks for your responses.

I will try your book.

I don't think LC writes cr**** books.

I wonder, Alice, if people who are new at writing, write so that they meet all those criteria. Perhaps it is a seasoned writer that even knows about the criteria.

No one knows if their work can stand the test of time except those writers whom have expired and are either looking down from above or up from below can say, yes, my work has stood the test.

My works ( notice that I now call it 'work's' since I am a multi-book phenomenon now, ) are out there, though, and it may take eons for people to consider that they have downloaded half my books free and a dollar would not break their bank. I do not hold out a lot of hope, yet.

I am greatful for every eye.

I think that DK's work qualifies.

Love,
Betty

Dear Alice,
What are cr**** books.
PM me if you need.
Love,
Betty

Betty,

Read LC's post.
Your books seem to do everything.

I do not think that LC has ever done a crappy thing in her life! If she did, it would be in style, marketable and artistically presented. Me, now, I have done some artistically presented crappy stuff. I guess there is a difference. I do like beautiful things, however, and that saves me from being a ...I cannot remember the word for me at this moment, but I am prevented from being it by my existance.

Love,
Betty

Let me add to that, that I love your kind heart, Alice. I am glad that you no longer do accounting. I did that for so long. People love their money and are not concerned how they keep it. They entwine you in their deceptions. If I were to write a book about it I would call it "Shake the Snake".

Thanks for the "your books seem to do everything".

They do every thing but sell a million.

However!

I looked in on Smashwords.com tonight and some lovely, kind persons have bought.
I am over the moon!

Funny how the heart is. It beats there so quietly within your chest walls, just keeping the rhythm of your existing going along. You pay no heed to it's tireless beating.

But then, out of the blue, someone pats you on the head. Someone says you have done something good, something extraordinary. All at once the rest of your body takes a little notice.

Your face puts out a big smile, your eyes light up.

There you are, alone in front of your computer smiling at the screen.

Life is good!

Love,
Betty

Betty,

You are good. Your books are very good. You are the American, Beatrice Potter.

Now about accounting:
I was honest in my accounting--followed the rules and stole nothing. I was not entwined in any deceptions. I would much prefer to be known as a retired accountant than an author. This is a put down of no one, simply my preference.

It would never occur to me to introduce myself to someone as an author and in fact would feel vey deceptive if I did so. It was only a hobby for me.

There is a discussion these days about the genre definitions becoming so tight that great literature that once appealed to all ages is now being placed in YA or adult and being lost to either group. The Little Prince is often placed in youth books; To Kill a Mockingbird has been placed in YA; most of the Russian historical romance has been classified as adult yet I read them in my youth. If you ask me, I think vampire type novels should be adult; yet, they are YA. Very confusing.

Betty Fasig wrote:

I do not think that LC has ever done a crappy thing in her life! If she did, it would be in style, marketable and artistically presented.

That's our LC, all right.

Ann

I must be the oddball here. I read grammar books cause I want to learn, but in my own reading and writing, I just want to entertain.

Whats LCs coffe table book? Can I get one?

Lyntx,

You are yourself. There is only one of you. All of us like to be entertained. I look forward to your books.

Thanks, but it'll be awhile. I have to learn.

What the name of LCs book?

I am not at liberty to disclose that--ask her.

11/20/2011


LC Ummmmmmmmmm, One never knows, she never
talks about them, probably shy...


Cheers..Joe...

LC's Coffee Table Book is actually a very expensive textbook - but the illustrations on the cover and inside are beautiful. It's a book to teach design. She can better exlain it.

Non-fiction books do qualify as literature, and that would include many textbooks, especially in the liberal arts areas. Designing is an art, and LC's work clearly reflects that. Maybe a math text would not, but I once heard a physicist argue that calculus was a language of numbers that had the power to express poetry. When I mentioned that to my physicist son, he just smiled mysteriously.

Ann

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