I found this interesting article over on Dig, Boston's Weekly .
Last October, in Harper’s Magazine, Lewis Lapham published an article called “We Now Live in a Fascist State.” In it, he discusses the different ways nations, including the US, oppress their people.
... The truth is that chick lit is bad for America because it’s bad for ambitious, literary writers, male or female. And that means it’s bad for all of us. As America increasingly devalues intellectual rigor, education and compassion, it becomes harder and harder to find a good book.
And believe me—the ex-fiction editor—it’s not because they’re not out there. It’s because the market is saturated by bad writers claiming to rep for all women, crowding the bookshelves, making sure their one marginal, vapid story is produced ten million times over, like some pretty pink version of hell.
Thanks Jessa .
5 comments:
Oh Please... If we can't escape reality through mind-numbing fiction, what else do we do... turn on the TV and stare vacantly at the screen. Just because there is 'brain candy' fiction available doesn't mean people are choosing it over so-called literature. We've always had these kind of novels anyway... we just called them 'Romance'. :) There will always be readers of candy (by whatever name you wish to call it) just as there will always be readers of literature.
Mind numbing tv ... lordy lordy It's only about being selective. Saw a superb movie from Australia last night :)
Anyways it's all about choice ... I posted it because I've taken comment from both sides ... reading Paulo Coelho earned me scorn from the 'intellectuals', reading Umberto Eco brought scorn from the 'other side'.
I wander the world of literature as I please but people do tend to take sides and I've never actually heard anyone take that particular view on chick lit ... made me smile.
I had to smile when I noticed the article author was anonymous ... :)
I say Alison's onto something when she says there's nothing new here.
How does Don Quijote lose his mind (and start wandering around after windmills) in what's considered a great literary work?
Reading low brow novels about knights and damsels.
I'd argue women have no monopoly on writing the stuff, however...
I'm probably a bit sore about growing up reading 'candy' as a teenager ... there wasn't much good literature lying about and so it is that I view some of those years as lost years in terms of influenced by interesting writers.
Both men and woman authors for sure. I just read 'Runaway Jury' and skimmed over at least 2/3's of the book.
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