#aplit16kingmerit

[tristan-wright-avondale]

King: Litimery, or no Litimery?

Although the definition of literary merit is extremely fluid and somewhat arbitrary, I have come up with my own definition of literary merit that works for me. Whether or not it will work for others, I am not sure, but the only thing I can make sure of is that I will respect my own guidelines for this definition. 

My guidelines begin with one simple aspect, does the book send a message about an issue connected with our society and does that message make people see that issue in a different way? Second, does the book give the reader a new perspective on something that will help them develop their views on  it. Lastly, do people want to read the book. I do not believe that a  book can be litimery if it is not at least entertaining enough to draw an audience other than boring English professors.

Using these guidelines for King’s “Four Seasons”, I would have to say that this book does have something to offer. I believe there are clear messages in each of the novellas within the book and each of them can be related to society. When I think of this requirement, I think of Apt Pupil, which sends the message that not only can the thirst for knowledge become a slippery slope, but there will not be a happy ending for someone who falls so far off from the straightened arrow of society. I also found that this book fulfilled the requirement that it helps the reader develop views on something they may have been struggling with. For me, this new perspective came from the Shaw shank Redemption novella. I did not know what to think of the people in prisons, did they deserve what they got? This book helped me develop the perspective that no man deserves the cruelty of such prisons and they need to be changed. Lastly, I agree that this book was entertaining enough to draw an audience and people will see these traits throughout the book. 

[jameslica]

The Brand, New, Cool Word: Litamery

The definition of literary merit by AP Central is,  “Entertains the reader and is interesting to read. Does not merely conform to the expectations of a single genre or formula. Has been judged to have artistic quality by the literary community (teachers, students, librarians, critics, other writers, the reading public). Has stood the test of time in some way, regardless of the date of publication. Shows thematic depth: The themes merit revisiting and study because they are complex and nuanced. Demonstrates innovation in style, voice, structure, characterization, plot and/or description. May have a social, political or ideological impact on society during the lifetime of the author or afterward. Does not fall into the traps of “pulp” fiction such as clichéd or derivative descriptions and plot devices, or sentimentality rather than “earned” emotion. Is intended by the author to communicate in an artistic manner. Is universal in its appeal (i.e., the themes and insights are not only accessible to one culture or time period),”(AP Central).... I mean that’s what the list says. But as we were in a harness, we came to debunk this idea of literary merit because we said that it doesn’t really belong in a list. It’s up to personal opinion with some a couple of rules such as it needs a sense of depth and a meaning that can apply socially and politically. Up to a point I agree with this, but I would also balance it out by adding that it does need some entertainment and personally connection. 

As for Stephen King’s “Different Seasons” I would say that it isn’t. As a whole book and because of how I see it and the criteria I use to judge it, I believe that the book isn’t scoring home runs. The reason I say this is because not all the novellas add up to literary merit. “Apt Pupil” and “The Breathing Method” are just there for the scare of it. They aren’t really meant to show any life changing meaning or political messages, so that’s why they didn’t make the cut for me. They just didn’t really have anything beneath the surface.

[divyaramanathan]

Literary Merit Conclusion

Today’s harkness made me realize that it’s not simple to determine if a book is of merit or not. Literary merit can be defined as a work of fiction having “aesthetic value.” Although there is a list of bullet points to go off of, it truly depends how an audience receives the novel. Literary merit is completely subjective and is different in everyone’s eyes, however, I’d like to assert that King and Different Seasons is of literary merit.

Not only has King inspired pop culture with his works, but he has also developed a name for himself through his twisted, horror fiction writing. Three out of the four novellas included in Different Seasons have been made into films and this is mainly because the book showed complexity by having fascinating plots. The first criteria under literary merit stated that the work needs to entertain the reader and the second novella “Apt Pupil” accomplished that by exploring a different theme, focusing on the human capacity for evil. Throughout the entire book, the disturbing characters, innovative writing style, and “original” plot brought the stories to life. Also, the differences in themes throughout all four novellas depicts how King altered his horror writing to have different focuses (ex: hope and character development). These novellas were compiled together in order to show King’s writing in a new light, proving that he is an innovative writer who adapts his writing to his audience's wants and needs. Lastly, horror fiction writer Ray Bradbury develops each of his books to have rhetorical moves and thematic depth which when viewed closely, is no different from the works of Stephen King. In Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the plot is centered around a dystopian society who burns books. Bradbury wrote this novel by having a different perspective and from doing this, it isn’t cliched at all. King’s “Apt Pupil” is similar to this because it also contains a plot twist by having a golden schoolboy character who transforms into a psychopathic killer. If we compare both books, they each have strong characters (Guy Montag and Todd/Dussander), complex passages incorporating figurative language, and have been showcased in pop culture through book to film adaptations. All in all, Stephen King is an innovative writer who deserves to have Different Seasons be of literary merit.

[ash-andrews]

Harkness is love.. Harkness is life

So we all have at least come to the conclusion that this list that “defines” literary merit is opinionated. I don’t see the point of freaking out anymore on whether or not he is of literary merit because there’s always the brick wall of “I don’t agree with that!”. 

One more thing I wanted to add today was, if time is another deciding factor on whether or not a book has literary merit, do people think that books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and others that we have read were thought to have literary merit when they first came out? I was reading these observations from another person, and it seems like their opinion of literary merit is; if a book can pass popular culture and be accepted for its literary culture, it can be defined as a book with literary merit. So this person claims that books like the Hunger Games and Harry Potter are not of literary merit because they are just another example of pop culture in our time. But again that’s just ANOTHER OPINION. Here’s the link if your interested: http://lincolnparkhs.org/ourpages/auto/2010/9/23/39248840/Observations%20from%20Definition%20of%20Literary%20Merit.pdf

Overall, I do believe King is of literary merit. Not only because I enjoyed the book, because I didn't really appeal to the Breathing Method (and kinda The Body) but I still respected his writing skills and techniques.  I’ve never read a Stephen King book before, even though I’ve heard about him, and after this book I would happily read another. For Shawshank and Apt Pupil, I was always engaged and excited to read more. The body I felt that way too but not as much as the other two. Even though the list may not be accurate enough to base literary merit off of, King did follow most of the list accept for the time length (and for those of you out there who hated it, the universal appeal one also). 

I think our group could have focused less on the universal appeal part of the list, but other than that I really don’t think we did that bad. We all got a little bit irritated, and I guess a little bit too focused on things, but all in all it wasn't too bad. The other group was just like ours basically, sometimes they would get stuck on things and change views a lot, but they did pretty good too. 

[mohiuddin-baig]

Literary merit?

Literary merit is not and cannot be absolutely defined, unless its definition is absolute to its creator. In other words, literary merit is not defined by a bunch of old white guys and girls with a masters degree in a conference room, or anyone for that matter. Literary merit is subjective, just like our definition of art. However, there were limiters to this when defining art, and I suspect we will find the same for the argument of literary merit. Literary merit is defined by you for you and those that accept your definition. 

Considering that, what do we make of the question “Does Different Seasons by Stephen King have literary merit?” The answer is we don’t. I do, and so do you by following your own criteria. I consider Different Seasons to be worthy of literary merit. The book itself was engaging and insightful. It did what a story should do, immerse me in it. In each story, I found myself feeling awe, suspense, disgust, joy, and relief. I’d cheer on Andy, tremble at the thought of Todd, or get irritated at Vern. And that’s only the surface. Books should make you feel emotion! Apt Pupil really gave me some chills. It wasn’t scary, it was just creepy. The story got me thinking about “what ifs?” and how realistic it could be. Overall, I found each story in the book drew me in and got me thinking. Each one entertained me, gave me insight, and changed things up. I believe Different Seasons is worthy of literary merit. 

[omgrachellewalker-blog]

Is King Kool?

Yeah I know, I’m not funny at all I just wanted to be somewhat creative. Anyway literary merit is something I am seriously having difficulty understanding. I get what makes something of literary merit (it’s literally just a checklist) but someone just made that up. So if I fail this tumblr post ok but I don’t think I’m fit to say weather or not Different Seasons is of literary merit. In all honesty I’m still confused as to whether or not it needs to have every single thing on the checklist and if it doesn’t wouldn’t that mean that everything is of literary merit? No seriously think about it. Every book in the world has at least one of the things on the list or else it wouldn’t be a published book. So as we’re harknessing and everyone’s telling me that it doesn’t have to meet all of the qualifications on the checklist they’re basically telling me everything and anything can be of literary merit, right? Or are they saying that nothing is of literary merit? Is Different Seasons of literary merit? I can’t say because I don’t believe it’s a actual thing and I also don’t believe I am fit to judge a man’s work who makes more money than I’ll ever see in my life. So I apologize for saying it isn’t of literary merit earlier today but I don’t believe it is an actual thing. 

[khadijahkhan01]

Literary Merit???

Sooo what is the actual definition of a literary merit? Honestly I don't think there is a specific one because everyone has their own definition and opinion on whether the book is of literary merit or not. I believe that "Different Seasons" is a book of literary merit, but not everyone agrees to that. Therefore, we can't really give a definite answer to the question, even if the book meets all the requirements on the checklist to be labeled as a literary merit. Yes the quality of the book is excellent and King's idea of joining four books with multiple themes together in one was genius and it obviously had to be done for a reason. However, I think this way! This does NOT mean that everyone thinks like this. Everyone has their own opinion.

[jcsroka2]

Literary Merit

Honestly if you match the book “Different Seasons” to the list that we were given over the summer, it has many checks on the list in my opinion. I would consider it of Literary Merit. A major point to me is the first one entertains the reader which it did for me. Even though sometimes the stories dragged on they eventually would turn around. 

Now this doesn’t mean every book I find entertaining to be of Literary Merit, it is just something that I find needed in a book that has this qualification. Since the book had four different novella’s, each one had their own idea or theme to the reader. 

“Apt Pupil” and “The Breathing Method” had harder ideas to identify, while Shawshank and “The Body” were more simply. I believe this could have been on the intention of King because he wanted to challenge and give some sort of variety to his reader. 

Do I think “Different Seasons” will be in every English classroom in 15 years? No, not a chance because it is so out of the normal of the books we read for school it has stories that trigger your mind to think “eewww that’s creepy” and wants you read more. That’s the main reason why I think it is of Literary Merit it made the reader dig for some messages and search for some.