And that right there is half the problem I have with HSC English. What makes something Shakespearean any more valid than a modern children's movie?
Nothing.
Now, I disagree with that. This is going into opinion territory (oh noes!), but intent and use of craft determine the value of literature.
Why does Shakespeare hold more 'literary value' than a child's movie?
It mainly boils down to the fact that the producer's created the movie for a niche and to gain profit. Hell, even if they were trying to be artistic and didn't care about the money (impossible, but we're being theoretical), the fact stands that it is genre fiction. It is aimed towards entertaining children. All the metaphors and hidden adult themes doesn't make the movie 'literary fiction', for the entire text is based on set features for its particular genre. It uses the same plot lines, jokes, character stereotypes as other children's movies.
I guess you could argue that Shakespeare wrote for money/followed preset writing formulas. [throw out the last paragraph out the window then :S]
But to use an analogy:
5+4i is not greater (or less than) than 1+i
but you know that 5+4i has the larger modulus
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if you're writing an essay about literature, it's easier to use 'literary texts'. you can use genre fiction or commercial trash and get 100%. it's just going to be a lot harder and require more creativity. part of the marking criteria says something about "is appropriate for intended audience" or something like that. if the question is asking about a deep/literary idea, you're hurting your chances by writing about movies with flying pandas aimed for kids.