What are the standards of literature?

The seven standards of literature are: artistry, intellectual value, spiritual values, suggestiveness, universality, style and permanence. While genre fiction may contain some of these things, writing that is considered "literature" contains all of them.

Books and other pieces of writing that are considered works of literature appeal to the reader's standards of beauty, and cause him to think. Literature helps draw out the moral values in a person or situation. It moves the reader by affecting his emotions. It contains themes and ideas that appeal to all people on a universal level. In addition, literature is written in an enduring style and remains timelessly appealing to readers despite its setting.