The SF Book Club's "The Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 Years (1953-2002)"

one are the people who read it to be entertained. The other are the people who read it to be entertained and want it to also have literary content.

Both componets have the entertainment requirement. How people are entertained doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the type of writing.

Sword of Shannara was written to entertain. If you want your fantasy to be literary as well, read George Martin, Tolkien, or some such. But both are valid, whatever your particular taste may be.

Everyone doesn’t have to have the same taste or standards. If we did, sf probably wouldn’t exist as a genre at all!

jkd