Definition of "a work of literary merit"

What is "a work of literary merit"? Before this Friday if you asked me this question I would have looked at you and said “you said what now?” Which is exactly what I was thinking in my head when my teacher told the class we had to complete an assignment based on our definition of this word. After long durations of crying inside I decided to followed the very well-known saying “when in doubt Google it!” As usual there were about two hundred thousand results that popped up. What made it even better was every single website I clicked on and read through had a different interpretation of the meaning of this word. I could not tell which version of the definition was right or which one was wrong, because I did not know the word. I decided to reference the definition provided by CollegeBoard. According to CollegeBoard the definition of a literary merit contains ten pieces of criteria. The work of literature has to entertain the reader, does not conform to a single genre or formula, has been judged to have artistic quality by the literary community, has stood the test of time, shows thematic depth, have an impact on society during that lifetime...etc. and the list goes on. I never thought one word could have so many parts to its definition. But from the information I obtained from CollegeBoard’s definition of the word I was able to formulate my own. A literary merit is the quality of a book that makes it worth being considered to have aesthetic value. Some of examples I found are Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. What I found interesting about these books was I am familiar with all of them, because I was forced to read them in high school. These are also books that have been referenced in the AP English exam. But when I looked at the definition of literary merit and the examples of books it caused me to question the meaning of literary merit. On CollegeBoard the first criteria is it has to be entertaining to the reader, but that is a personal opinion so that would mean literary merit is subjective. The books on this list I had to read did not interest me at all. I read them because I had to not because I wanted to. In regards to the book having universal appeal, I have read books that fit this criteria but they are not considered examples of literary merit. For example I read a book called Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat. I was entertained and the book contained themes based on life and pain. It is not cliché and nor does it use a generic formula. The author write in a unique way and her book includes thematic depth. My book does fit the definition of literary merit, but it did not make the list.

The Author 

I am Neveah Mayers. I was born in Kenya and migrated to the United States at around the age of 5. Coming to America was a big change and a difficult challenge for me. I did not know an ounce of English when I came here, but since then I have made vast improvements, I can now speak English fluently and write as well. As a high school student I am currently enrolled in  AP English courses. Reading has always been a love of mine.I could escape the chaos of my reality and I get lost in the text when I put myself in the shoes of the character. Through them I could live multiple lives and go different places without moving even an inch from my seat. Sadly this passion that I had for reading died down. Family, school, and life in general has prevented me from one of my greatest loves. But this sad love story is about to take a turn, today. The date is October 5th, 2015. This marks the beginning of my journey with reading. For so long I have been kept from it, but now it is time to find my way back to it. This blog will document my journey in finding myself in between the lines of texts. I do not know where I am going or where I will end up. But if you take this first step with me, we can find that out together.