Why are novels seen as the pinnacle of "art" writing in Western society? What about the short-story, the essay, reportage, other non-fiction? Why do we deify novellists?
by 
hijklmno
ANSWERS: 3
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*bump*
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oh that was a cheeky bump. I don't know that society deifies novelists as such. I think there is more kudos in creating a longer work. It takes skill to write in any format but there is a discipline particular to writing 300-400 usable pages of story that maintains interest, has good continuity, is not repetative, etc and even more so if that piece of work is stylish. I have been moved to tears by a good piece of reportage. I've been utterly impressed by articles in national geographic and the new scientist but I am moved to awe on occassion by stunning writing over the course of an entire novel, for example I would mention Yann Martel and Antoine de Saint Exupery but such things are very subjective.
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good question- well worth bumping! other forms of writing have enjoyed the popularity and esteem of novels at different points in history. The novel has only really ben seen like this since literary criticism was invented in the 1750s, before then it was seen as really populist and trashy and poetic verse was celebrated. I think one of the reasons the novel has been seen this was for so long is because of the invention of film, as films tend to be based on the same structures of novels- the audience follows a main charcter, rather than in a play where the characters tell the audience what is going on. maybe if film were invented at a time when a different way of writing was most celebrated, we wouldn't have movies as we know them, there'd be more like poems!
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