Serious novelists start writing because of a desire to create a work of art and recognize as great literature the works of other novelists who achieve this goal. As a consequence, when a novel becomes a best-seller, the authors of other novels conclude that the best-seller is not truly great literature.

The explanation offered above for the view authors hold of best-sellers assumes that


work on a novel that the author hopes will be regarded as great literature must be undertaken in solitude

serious novelists tend not to view as great literature a novel produced by an author whose success they envy

a novelist can produce a best-seller without having already produced great literature

serious novelists believe that those novelists who produce best-sellers must not have aimed at producing a work of art

the claim of a novel to status as great literature cannot be evaluated by individuals who are not themselves serious novelists



D