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A comment on Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism. Parent comment

Re:Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism by wyday on Saturday September 15, 2007 @12:42PM (#54936)
If it's not general popularity, and it's only critical popularity after a few hundred years, then can a writer's talent even be judged in the short term?

(This question sounds smarmy, but I ask it earnestly.)

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Re:Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism by pg on Saturday September 15, 2007 @01:44PM (#54951)
No, there's currently no neutral way.

Good judges can tell who the good writers are, but there's no currently no independent way of telling who the good judges are.

Empirically the oscillations of opinion seem to settle down after a few hundred years. Even then there are probably errors. E.g. tragedies will tend to be more highly regarded than comedies, because they seem more serious.

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Re:Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism by gwenhwyfaer on Saturday September 15, 2007 @01:16PM (#54946)
Probably not, no, since one of the tests of quality is timelessness.
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