literature

i'll be honest, for a sci-fi/fanstasy person, i read awfully little. i blame a degree in english for ruining any reading habits i may have intended on starting. and tv. yeah, definitely tv.
anyways, i hear mr. rr martin is good. having formerly worked in a bookstore, i got lots of recommendations--everything from fantasy to literature to mystery to your run-of-the-mill "ny times" bestseller-type, along with the various drama of the week biographies that come out and make the morning talk show/oprah circuit. everyone has a favorite author. personally, though he isn't a fantasy author, i rank thomas hardy as my favorite; truly a master of the human condition. while i don't think fate neccessarily has it in for us, it's still compelling and utterly engrossing stuff.
as for what i'm reading now--Rachel has me interrupting the "tale of genji" by murasaki shikibu with "the disposessed" by the aforementioned ursula k leguin. otherwise you'll see me stuck amidst the pages of the manga "blade of the immortal" by hiroaki samura. an excellent tale of an immortal ronin samurai helping a young girl attain vengeance. definite glimmers of greatness between mind-(and body)bending sword fights.
i suppose the real question in determining how great an author is, is by examing the work they have given the public: is it merely a novel or is it literature. i'm not saying there's a formula per se, but i'm not certain someone like jordan is neccessarily literature. timelessness shouldn't be measured in how long it takes for a story to be told.
but, i may be wrong. when robert jordan becomes required reading for attaining an english degree, then we'll talk. "lord of the rings": literature. "wheel of time": we'll see.