At the Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy weblog James W. Hall argues Beware Literary Snobbery: Why We Should Read Bestsellers.
There doesn't actually seem to be all the much of an explanation of 'Why We Should Read Bestsellers' here -- beyond, hey, they're fun; hey, at least people are reading something; and the old favorite:
Hall found himself at a point where: "Novels were no longer fun. They were work." I'd suggest the fault was his, not the books'.
People should read whatever they want to, for whatever reasons they want to. But I'd suggest some books offer a lot more than others -- and they usually aren't the ones on the bestseller list. (I, for one, would love to come across more mindless entertainment -- if it's really entertaining; I find it rarely is (of purely mindless stuff, on the other hand, there is no end ...).)
There doesn't actually seem to be all the much of an explanation of 'Why We Should Read Bestsellers' here -- beyond, hey, they're fun; hey, at least people are reading something; and the old favorite:
I like to think of bestsellers as a gateway drug. Once you've found one you love, books will forever hold a special allure. All comers welcome. No special education required.Funny how no one ever uses that argument for crap TV or crap movies. Does anyone believe that watching the latest version of American Pie will serve as a 'gateway drug' to Ingmar Bergman ? That watching Two and a Half Men will lead viewers to Masterpiece Theater ?
Hall found himself at a point where: "Novels were no longer fun. They were work." I'd suggest the fault was his, not the books'.
People should read whatever they want to, for whatever reasons they want to. But I'd suggest some books offer a lot more than others -- and they usually aren't the ones on the bestseller list. (I, for one, would love to come across more mindless entertainment -- if it's really entertaining; I find it rarely is (of purely mindless stuff, on the other hand, there is no end ...).)