Novels once rated the same consideration by critics. "Once upon a time there were good American novels and bad ones, but none was thought of as a work of art."

Novels once rated the same consideration by critics. "Once upon a time there were good American novels and bad ones, but none was thought of as a work of art." http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7197.html http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7197.html Moby Dick, written in 1851, wasn't widely regarded as a work of art until after World War I. To counter Ebert's summary: Why are the self-appointed guardians of the ramparts of canonized art always so jealous in protecting it from being invaded by newcomers? This story has been repeated over and over again with portrait paintings, Impressionism, architecture, novels, cinema, and everything in between. It's an old and tired plot, and one he should certainly be familiar enough with to disdain.