Defining Literature

According to Terry Eagleton, the author of “What is Literature,” there is no concrete way to define literature. He has said, “There have been various attempts to define literature. You can define it, for example, as ‘imaginative’ writing in the sense of fiction—writing which is not literally true. But even the briefest reflection on what people commonly include under the heading of literature suggests that this will not do” (Eagleton 1). So how does one go about defining literature? Perhaps the only way for someone to know is to read as many different works of writing as possible. These works can be chosen from the canon of classics to history books. Romance novels should even be considered. In my opinion, the individual reader is the judge.
I consider One Hundred Years of Solitude as a great work of literature. It is a very long novel, 448 pages, but it is well worth the effort. I would not have gotten the same experience if I had just...