Good Literature vs Good Stories

Many of you might be wondering why books like Ulysses and The Brothers Karamazov are considered the greatest novels ever written. I myself wondered this for most of my life, since the stories they told were relatively normal, and not very immersing (at least not for me or anyone I know). Then I had what can be called an epiphany - its not the story they tell that makes them great, but the style in which the novels were written.

That being said, none of the "greatest" novels tell a decent story - not a single one. Personally, I read books for a temporary respite from our world, not to read about the worst parts of it. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the style of writing in a book, but I don't read a book for the style - I read it for the story. Maybe its my personal bias coming through, but the only books I can bear to read are either fantasy, adventure, or science fiction. Many people talk down on these genres, saying its not "great writing". That doesn't matter to me, or anyone growing up in my generation. Youth is no longer reading what their parents recommend them, they are now reading good stories rather than good literature, and they (we) are choosing stories of grandeur that free us from the binds and chains of real life, and send us to a world that does not follow these rules, and embraces us with imaginative characters, terrible evils, heroes, and incredible conflicts, and people are flipping the pages like they are on fire.

Let's take a look at probably one of the greatest stories ever told - The Lord of the Rings. What Tolkien has done surpasses every mason, every government, and everyone in general. He has created a world - one so believable that it truly lives in anyone who has read his books. The story told is so vast, so grand, and so detailed, that it surpasses any tale anyone has ever told before.

Now tell me, what would you rather read, The Lord of the Rings or the maze of strange and uninspiring paragraph sentences that is Ulysses? The answer is obvious. Great writing doesn't make a great story. And everyone loves a great story.