Moral Virtue in Literary Genius

I'm almost finished with Bel Canto, then will delve into Angela's Ashes. Bel Canto has been a good read, but not wow. There's pretty good character development, foreshadowning, suspense - a well-thought, almost classic plot - but there could have been more all around. Maybe authors these days feel so compelled to keep their audience entertained that they're afraid to go deeper. I'm afraid that this is the way of our culture and it reduces the possibility of great modern literaturists. Bel Canto is good, but it could have been great had the author been more patient.

As we go, it's interesting to feel the differences b/t good and great. There are many good writers out there, but so often their thoughts lack real moral depth. Their characters act, but they don't know why they act. Ahab's Wife was well written, too, but the main character was rather blah - despite her extreme circumstances. She didn't come to any crises of character that led to profound character development. The book spent most of its pages interjecting modern thought onto 19th century American characters w/o giving any substantial reason for it. The author certainly did her research, but did this compel her to intersperse every odd tidbit about the sexual behaviors of men and women forced from each other for long periods of time? Liberation seems to be its theme - liberation from slavery (bravo, although the main character didn't sound willing to get too involved in the issue), from the church (personified in her father who is, of course, cruel and unreasonable), from society (how convenient to be independently wealthy), and from marriage (and did you know that homosexuality was practiced quite openly back then?). Okay, but liberation for what? For the right to live in the deception that we are each the center of our individual worlds? Lord, help us - and I mean this quite literally!