Fine, but then it's a question of nuance - you could say James Joyce's command of the English language is better for instance (or whatever, this is just an exam

Fine, but then it's a question of nuance - you could say James Joyce's command of the English language is better for instance (or whatever, this is just an example). Saying that one believes it would be as bad to lose Scott's writing as Twain's is not saying he believes Scott should be thaught in English classes. It's just in essence saying "I value this a whole damn lot".