How Do Critics And Readers Decide Which Stories Count As All-Time Greats?

2026-07-22 20:32:49
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2 Answers

RheaRed
RheaRed
Bibliophile Chef
Accessibility is a weird factor. Some argue a truly great story should be accessible to many, but then you have things like 'Finnegans Wake' which are impenetrable to most but considered monumental by scholars. So which is it? I lean towards the idea that greatness can exist in different tiers: populist greatness and avant-garde greatness. They achieve their aims for different audiences. Trying to force them into the same box just leads to pointless arguments about whether 'The Lord of the Rings' is 'better' than 'Ulysses'. They're both giants, just in completely different arenas.
2026-07-25 20:27:39
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CozyPine
CozyPine
Detail Spotter Student
The element of surprise or subverting expectations. When a story pulls off a twist that feels both shocking and inevitable in retrospect, it earns huge points. It makes the audience re-evaluate everything they've seen. That 'aha!' moment is a massive payoff. But it's risky—a bad twist can ruin everything. The greats manage this delicate balance, making the surprise feel earned and thematically resonant, not just a cheap trick for shock value.
2026-07-28 09:47:09
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