Oh wait, ya said "literature", never mind.
Ha! - I concede my 'World Engine' doesn't quite rank as literature
I was looking forward to your input though. Every time you mention your New England area, I think of HP Lovecraft. I read everything that was published in my teens and still re- read some now and again. Mainly for the setting and the impression it left with me.
The word "literature" has an origin based in having letters forming words forming a book one is capable of learning from. And if I recall, it's first known usage as a word was in the 14th century, which I find interesting because that puts its initial use being towards the end of the middle ages and moving towards the renaissance. Some say literature needs to be writing of some sort of artistic or intellectual importance, yet like so much in life, I say such seems relative while changing over time. My interpretation seems more liberal than some, yet more full as well. Those that seek to constrict and control without a measure of moderation, in the moment understanding, and case by case awareness have been known to be confrontational with my view. They tend to be folks ... well, never mind, not worth the whining I could see if more is said on this tangent ... lol. So back to my view ... speech and language tend to be something that changes in meaning and structure over time, and if written words are a bi-product of spoken words, then it seems that changes over time of people's values, and as their efforts to communicate changes, so does the language and what is considered literature. The wider view a person has as to what literature is, probably the more adaptable a person can be to the society as it changes, too. Thus having a broad view of literature seems wise.