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zahny
03-05-2006, 05:48 PM
in prose, what do they actually mean by "literary merit"?
TheModernEgg
03-05-2006, 09:24 PM
Is the piece good? / Should it be used for speech or left alone?
TheDrinkNinja
03-05-2006, 09:28 PM
Moreso than that, it means that materiel with depth and substance has more merit (and should be ranked higher) than "Blue Penguin Publishing's 'My Favorite Bathtime Gargles'"
zahny
03-06-2006, 06:22 PM
i was considering doing a humorous piece called the 5 minuted moby dick by greg nagan. its not an absurdly stupid piece, but its not by any means deep or thought provoking. im just not sure how well it could do against the more serious pieces.
Ryan
03-06-2006, 07:49 PM
A piece's intro can make even the most absurd pieces have some form of meaning. A good way to add literary merit to a piece like that is to classify it as a parody or satire and explain the societal benefit of parodies/satire.
zahny
03-07-2006, 05:18 PM
ok that makes sense. thanks for the tip
nelehbril
03-13-2006, 06:08 AM
GREG NAGAN IS A FANTASTIC MAN.

He wrote the piece I'm doing for prose this year, "Sense and Sensibility." I'm going to Nationals with it, his stuff is hilarious.

Honestly, though, when it comes to Serious vs. Humorous, it's all personal choice on the judges part. In my last round at States, one of my best friends did a dramatic piece and made one judge cry; he gave her first. The other judge gave me first. Both said it was a challenging decision, but it comes down to which piece the judge preferred.

Good luck with it!