>From "Why Literature?" by Mario Vargas Llosa in The New Republic
>
> Awareness
> of the existence of the forest creates the feeling of generality, the
> feeling of belonging, that binds society together and prevents it from
> disintegrating into a myriad of solipsistic particularities. The solipsism
> of nations and individuals produces paranoia and delirium, distortions of
> reality that generate hatred, wars, and even genocide.
>
I suppose one could paraphrase this as "Great Literature unites proletarian and capitalist in awestruck recognition of the profound humanity of capitalism." About what one would expect from _New Republic_.
That also was the central message of Matthew Arnold's, _Culture and Anarchy_, a work inspired by his profound horror at a workers' demonstration in Hyde Park. That work is also the founding document of Modern Literary Criticism. The Great Professors have only rewritten it for each new generation. Llosa is a true Son of Arnold.
Carrol