Framed Abstract
What makes a story a work of literature?
I've been given a story (A night of frost and a morning of mist, by Janet Frame) and been asked to:
"Read the assigned Janet Frame story and be prepared to discuss what makes it a work of literature."
So what features do you think make a story a work of literature? It seems a pretty abstract question which could have many answers. Could it be the style/theme, or the plot of a story, or the figures of speech, or the message conveyed?
By definition, it is literature (a written work), but I think the assignment is asking what gives the work "literary merit."
"A work is said to have literary merit (to be a work of art) if it is a work of quality, that is if it has some aesthetic value."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literature
Generally, works considered to have literary merit contain some profound message, conform to basic standards of English (or the standards of their native language), exhibit creative elements, have a consistent plot line and convincing characters, and usually include several literary devices (allusion, metaphor, symbolism, etc).