Many here want to stop at the semicolon in M-W.Com's
definition of literature. It's what comes after the semicolon
that many of us argue--and by the way it's M-W's definition
number 3 after one that is archaic and another that tells
virtually nothing:
Definition 3a: writings in prose or verse; esp. : writings
having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas
of permanent and universal interest.
I think it's that last part that me, Miker and others on the
list hang our hats on, although I have to admit that my
personal definition is even tighter than that.
I think that Hammett and Chandler hang pretty well with that
caveat. I think we need a little more time to determine if
Spillane is literature, although my current thinking is that
in spite of the negatives about his writing, I think it may
be, in the longer run, literature.
Jack Bludis
http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JackBludis
http://jackbludis.com/
Recent Story at http://backalleywebzine.com/
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