Masterpieces

I believe that the definition of a masterpiece is dependent on the person that you ask. People have different perspectives of what essentially makes a piece of writing or even a piece of art, for that matter, great. I think we’d find most scholars to say that a masterpiece is timeless and written with elegance and fluidity. All of those things are ideal in a well written piece, but if nobody actually wants to read them, then why does it matter how well it is written? Take for example J.S. Mill’s On Liberty. I want to set my copy ON FIRE. I love reading, I really do, but it is something about this book that makes me angry. Yes, he has an extensive vocabulary. Yes, it is timeless; we can still implement his ideas today. But if you ask every freshman at Jewell if he enjoys reading On Liberty, I would be willing to bet all my material possessions that over ninety five percent of them laugh at you, or at least give you a firm “no.”
My idea of a masterpiece is a work that makes me want to continue reading it page after page. It is not a book that once I set down, I will never again pick up. Many books that I consider my favorites, masterpieces in my eyes, I have read again and again, and still find different things to enjoy about them.
So why then, are there so few masterpieces? Because those who get to decide what masterpieces are for the rest of us are too picky. They want perfection, when really no piece of writing is perfect. Let instead each person decide for themselves which books are timeless to them, what kind of style of writing they enjoy reading, and which books keep them coming back a second time, a third time, or more. If you were on my bookshelf looking for a masterpiece, it would be easy to spot. Look for the books whose pages are worn from reading, it’s there that you find a masterpiece.


My List of Masterpieces
· The Harry Potter Series: My poor copy of The Sorcerer’s Stone has seen much better days.
· The Giver
· The Twighlight Saga
· The Red Tent
· Stargirl