Why are modern novels are so forgettable?

Take any work of classic literature. What do you remember it by? Hamlet is a play about revenge. Catcher in the Rye is a book about growing up. The Great Gatsby is a book about illusions and the American Dream.

But take any modern work of literature, and it’s always presented in terms of plot. The moment you put plot first, you create a forgettable work of art.

Real literature isn’t about plot—it’s about big ideas.