Great Book Definition

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There are many books that people consider to be great books, but what does this truly mean? Because so many people have a different definition of what a great book is, can we truly define what a great book is? A person can define a great book as something that is enjoyable and entertaining to read or something that is difficult, but knowledgeable to read. What makes a great book, a great book? Either way the definition of a great book is determined by the context in which a person is using it. People typically think of a great book as something that has a bigger meaning or something that has a bigger purpose. When talking about what a great book is in the context of Western literature, which is the context in which this paper is defining a …show more content…
Faustus is a great book of a man that goes by the name Faustus, who grows bored with learning about things like medicine, religion, law, and logic, and he wants to find something that he thinks is worth learning about because he believes that these things are not beneficial to learn about. Faustus then hears about magic and wants to learn everything that there is to know about magic, but he needs the help of the devil to do this. He is so mesmerized by magic that he agrees to sell his soul to the devil for a specific number of years, in return for the knowledge about magic. This is a great example of a great book because it does exactly what the definition of a great book is supposed to …show more content…
Dr. Faustus will always be considered a great book because no matter what time period a person is reading this in everyone will experience religion, suffering, hope, happiness, and wishes or goals. This book is able to relate and teach people lessons forever because it is able to uphold its purposes as a great book. Even though a great book is not the same now as it was in the past it still has a purpose. A great book does not have to have the same definition of why it is a great book as long as it is still able to be defined as a great book. Great books in the past were solely based for the purpose of educating white men, but the great books of today have moved to the education of everyone in the world no matter the race or sex. So as long as a great book still is able to be interpreted in a beneficial way for the specific time period that it is being read in then it is still considered a great book, but more often than not you will always see the four themes hope, happiness, wishes, and suffering in the great books. No matter what their purpose as long as they always have a purpose they are considered a great book. Even though this is the definition of what a great book is there is always a way to argue if something is not a great book because everyone interprets books different

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