What IS Literature, really?

What is literature? Dictionary.com defines it as:
writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays.
That definition feels somewhat satisfactory, but is there more to it than than? In today's episode, Tony and Andy dive into what defines literature, where the line is draw, and if books written for the specific purpose of selling copies and making money can be considered literature or not.
Here are the books mentioned in today's episode:
The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Jordan Campbell
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East of Eden by John Steinbeck
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You Bright and Risen Angels by William T Vollman
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Thank you for Smoking by Christopher Buckley
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The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll by Alvaro Mutis
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Wailing, Madness, Shame, and Death by W. Gavin
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Shogun by James Clavell
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Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
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Musashi’s Book of Five Rings
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Heart of a Dog Mikhail Bulgakov
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Master and the Magherita by Mikhail Bulgakov
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Plum Springs by Dan Lawton
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Saint Sebastian’s Abyss by Mark Haber
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Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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White Noise by Don Delillo
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Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park
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The Recognitions by William Gaddis
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JR by William Gaddis
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Emoji Dick by Fred Benenson
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#literature #hardcoreliterature #books