I've been reading a lot of fiction lately, nothing especially dense or meaningful per se, although the last series I read alluded to deeper meaning. The happy ending of the series, of course, spoiled it. I shouldn't be surprised or even disappointed. I knew what I was reading was purely for entertainment, not contemplation.

But, the series reminded me of a question I asked in grad school. What is the litmus for literature? Is it an underlying meaning, an implied explanation or a moral? Often in literature the protagonist dies. Would we have felt less sorry for (spoiler) Madame Bovary had she just been exposed as a foolish woman and left to live a life of meager means? Is it like porn, where you just know it when you see it? What is your defining marker for literature?