> Everyone revises their work, many times over. But yes the great authors do as well.
You state that as if it's some universal truth but it's certainly not. We know that Asimov only ever wrote a first draft and a final draft and Heinlein wouldn't even create a first draft most of the time. Neither of them is a Nabokov or Hemingway but they certainly fall into the category of "everyone."
'I remember the players
have often mentioned it as an honour to Shakspeare, that in his writing (whatsoever he penned) he never blotted out a line. My answer hath been, "Would he had blotted a thousand," which they thought a malevolent speech. I had not told posterity this but for their ignorance who chose that circumstance to commend their friend by wherein he most faulted; and to justify mine own candour, for I loved the man, and do honour his memory on this side idolatry as
much as any.'
I say go ahead and compare. Shakespeare and Dickens were both considered highly-commercialized and not art in their time. We already see pg's incredible value as a writer.
And what does the format matter? If it did, we would disregard haikus as poetry just because they can fit into tweets.
“I have rewritten–often several times–every word I have ever written. My pencils outlast their erasers.” -- Vladimir Nabokov
But are you really trying to compare a bullet-point style blog post (not really an essay) to Shakespeare, Hugo, or Dickens?