An Experiment in Criticism
He suggests the categorization of books as either "highbrow" or "lowbrow" is deficient in that it fails to appreciate those qualities which have merited re-reading.In contrast, literary readers reread books many times, savouring certain passages, and attempting to glean more from subsequent readings.He noted that books classified as "lowbrow", such as science fiction, are also capable of inducing a passion to re-read and imparting experience which changes a reader's worldview.Lewis suggests that books which are capable of doing this may prove to have enduring merit regardless of their genre.He encourages us to avoid judging the literary merit of books based on traditional criteria.