The seven literary standards are: artistry, suggestiveness, intellectual value, spiritual value, permanence, universality, and style. These are a set of characteristics used to determine whether or not a work is literary. The criteria were developed by writer William J. Long in his textbook English Literature: Its History and Its Significance for the Life of the English-speaking World.

Universality

A piece of writing that appeals to everyone, regardless of culture, race, gender, or era, achieves universality. This universal appeal resonates with the hearts and minds of almost any reader, transcending gender, racial, and cultural boundaries, no matter when it was written.

Artistry

Art appeals to everyone with its sense of beauty. Artistry defines literature that captivates with aesthetic appeal, revealing hidden truth and beauty. This type of literature reaches broad audiences and carries a poetic beauty in its writing.

Intellectual Value

It stimulates critical thinking that enriches the mental processes of abstraction and reasoning, making one realize the fundamental truths of life and its nature. Intellectual value takes readers into a gray area, as they may have different opinions about what qualifies as intellectual. However, from an academic point of view, intellectual works are relevant to society and thought-provoking. Literature with intellectual value promotes critical thinking, enhancing both abstract and reason-based thought processes and helping readers focus on the fundamental truths of life and nature.

Suggestiveness

It unravels and conjures emotional power to define symbolism, nuances, implied meanings, images, and messages, giving and evoking visions beyond the plane of ordinary life and experiences. A suggestive piece of literature relies on emotional power to convey nuances, symbolism, implied meanings, imagery, and messages. The power of suggestion allows the work to inspire and provoke thoughts and understanding beyond the actual words written on the page.

Spiritual Value

It elevates the spirit and the soul, possessing the power to motivate and inspire, often drawn from the suggested morals or lessons of various literary genres. Literature with spiritual value uplifts the inner spirit and soul and has the power to motivate and inspire readers. It typically draws on the suggested lessons and moral codes of society depicted in various literary genres.

Permanence

Permanence endures across time by embracing both timeliness—appearing at a specific moment—and timelessness—remaining relevant through time. A written work’s capacity to withstand the test of time determines its permanence, though this quality is impossible to gauge at the moment of writing. Novels that continue to attract readers over decades, whether for enjoyment or fresh insights and ideas, fulfill this criterion. Many novels initially gain popularity but eventually fade into obscurity, failing the test of permanence.

Style

The author expresses thoughts in a distinct, memorable way through style. Unique, creative, and entertaining language choices make the work stand out and invite interpretation by readers, who judge its appeal. Style reveals unique perspectives on life, showing itself through ideas, structures, and expressions enriched with lasting substance.

For a literary piece to stand as an unparalleled work of art, it must meet seven literary standards. To critique it thoughtfully, evaluate these seven standards. Remember to ask yourself periodically:

• Does it move you?
• Does it tickle your imagination?
• What does it suggest?
• What moral lessons can be drawn out?
• Will it still be read and make a good reference hundreds of years from now?
• Does it possess multifaceted qualities for all sorts of audiences?
• Does the style fascinate you?
• Is the style unique or imitative?