quote

I find this quote very restricting and inaccurate, in the fact that its definition is subjective to each individual reader and makes no room for things that don't fit the categories of "interesting and great" or "dull and unimaginative". It gives the readers the ability to determine what pieces of writing are good, which not only will vary from person to person by their own interests and beliefs, but can be easily influenced by failure to truly understand the subject at hand, differently interpreting a message, or even something as simple as their mood or events in life at the time of its examination. A freshman in modern day high school might not have the same appreciation for Shakespeare as the professor teaching it, or a religiously influenced novel might elicit different opinions about it from differently associated people. The subject matter is the same, yet people might not agree on it. Societal changes are also important, in its own progression over time and the social norms between different cultures. Many 'classic' books today were considered horribly inappropriate for some reason or another in their own time, and even in the same time period, different cultures view certain things differently, such as patriarchal versus matrilineal organizations. It also doesn't take into account that repetition might not be out of actual enjoyment of reading the text itself, but because of an effort to find certain information if in a factual document, or a deeper meaning behind fictional stories. Accomplishment of finding such an idea can bring about delight of its own.