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Spoiled by Literature?

ions

ions

New Member
Not going to mention any authors in particular, I don't mean this to be a judgement. Most of this year I've read literature with genre fiction peppered throughout. I'm finding I don't have the patience for the genre fiction anymore. When I was younger and was reading a classic I would habitually page count how much I had left. Partially because I didn't have the capacity then to appreciate and in becoming better read I've become a stronger reasder. Now I'm page counting with books that aren't considered 'lit'. The quality of writing is just not there with the genre fiction books. I could list specific qualities but the major point is that the literature has the better overall reading experience for me.

Now I've seen the arguments about books being compared to fine cuisine and conversely Happy Meals. That analogy doesn't work so well for me. If such a food comparison has to be made I think it makes more sense to compare fine literature to a fine wine or a fine chocolate. Once you've had fine belgian chocolate made with care by a knowledgeable chocolatier you can't eat the junk that sits on the shelf at the convenience store. I can't at least. Wine is much the same. Once you've had a good wine drinking the boxed stuff gets difficult. I never get the occasional craving for mediocre chocolate and vinegary wine like I would with a Happy Meal.

Is it possible that I've gotten to used to a standard of writing and can't stoop below it? As anyone else encountered this sort of thinking? I'm not really a pretentious person so taking this stance does not have anything to with my ego. At least if it does, it's not deliberate.
 
ions said:
Is it possible that I've gotten to used to a standard of writing and can't stoop below it? As anyone else encountered this sort of thinking? I'm not really a pretentious person so taking this stance does not have anything to with my ego. At least if it does, it's not deliberate.
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I'm completely with you. I've had a horrible few months and have returned to the "classic literature" shelf to try to recoup. The quality of writing is generally better and the stories are more thought out. Not every piece of classic lit is the "perfect read", but they've all stood the test of time for a reason. I've recently gotten in a few new books that have gotten really high marks. I'm loathe to start them though, as I think I might take up X-Box if I read one more horrible book before Christmas.

Oh, and I love the wine comparison. I think I may have been the one who compared certain books to McDonalds in the first place (stating that I prefer "literature" but can't resist a junky novel every once in a while), but I think the wine idea is even better.
 
I'm actually on the other side of the fence. I have read lots of classic literature through my undergraduate studies in Comparative Literature, with a minor in French Literature. I even enjoyed a fair amount of it. But my true love is genre fiction - I can't get enough of it. I very rarely devour classic literature with the same kind of zest and just pure enjoyment. For me, a fast-paced story or lots of really well-constructed characters (preferably both) is more appealing than high quality of language. Language counts of course, and if the language used in some popular fiction is too simplistic or too clunky I won't usually latch on to it. But, in the end I have to say that genre fiction is really what keeps me reading and what has always kept me reading.
 
It's not just the language in Literature that is better. Often the characters have more depth, the subtext is richer, etc. It's a better reading experience all round. Better writing means it's all better.
 
I'm with KristoCat on this one, I prefer genre fiction to literature. I guess that my reading tastes have not really matured to the level that I like to sit down with a deep and meaningful classic and ponder over it for hours rather then just plonk down and read a fast-paced, entertaining genre fiction novel. I can understand how reading and loving a lot of literature would sour your tastes towards genre fiction, though.
 
Well i'd say that reading classic litterature can open your eyes to how badly written genre fiction can be. For a lot of genre fiction the only thing that seems to matter is the plot and maybe the action scenes. The book can sell millions even if the characters and writing is horrible. I enjoy reading genre fiction but some authors just make me cringe.
 
To be honest, I don't think classic literature is always better than genre fiction. I suppose it depends what you like. But I do agree that after reading well writen books it is very hard to go back to those that aren't so well written. I love fantasy and my first taste of it was the Dragonlance series. I always thought they were great until I read them again several years later. Then I couldn't believe how poorly written they were. I had to practially force myself to finish them, which I did, of course because I did enjoy the plot. But the writing style was very bland. So yes, I do think we can be spoiled by good writing, whether it comes in the form of classic literature or well-written genre fiction.
 
=ions][Partially because I didn't have the capacity then to appreciate and in becoming better read I've become a stronger reasder.
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I do like the idea of becoming a "stronger reader". Practice makes ... er, um
-- stronger.

And I don't know beans about chocolate, but I could quit drinking both wine and coffee if I only had a choice of some of the stuff that's out there.

Excuse me whilst I go and look up the word "snob".

:D
 
I agree with ions too. As it happens I don't read a lot of classics but nor do I read much genre fiction - most of my stuff falls somewhere in the middle, 'literary fiction' they call it, or if you prefer, the books that would like to think themselves the classics of tomorrow. Nonetheless it's true that when I read a great classic, as I did recently with Madame Bovary, I feel lost afterwards as to what I can follow it up with. (In the end, the only way onwards was upwards, with Anna Karenina.)

And I think it can have something to do with age too, or reading experience (without wanting that to sound like age oneupmanship, as I creak through my early thirties) - I remember trying Madame Bovary years ago, in my late teens or early twenties maybe, and getting bored with it very quickly. So my tastes must have matured in the meantime.

I like the analogy with fine foods too. When I was a student sharing a house I used to buy supermarket own brand bargain 'pure' orange juice, 39p a litre. I thought it was great. Then I discovered the freshly-squeezed stuff, not from concentrate, and of course there's no going back, even though it costs four times as much. Or at least, you can go back, but not without scrunching up your face at the bitter taste it leaves. Which probably goes for books too. As mehastings says, classics have stood the test of time for a reason.
 
ions said:
Partially because I didn't have the capacity then to appreciate and in becoming better read I've become a stronger reasder.
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Apparently becoming a better reasder has not made me a better wrister or edister. :rolleyes:

Mr. Johnson is correct, an excellent writer can be a master of almost any genre. Just one more reason to avoid genre fiction. If I have a craving for some sci-fi action there are authors writing books today that are great sci-fi. Frankly for me plot/genre/setting are no longer a consideration in selecting a book. Great writers make a plot interesting and needn't rely on, what I now see as, the gimmicks that are so pervasive in genre fiction.

Looking back over my first post I can see how it may have looked as I was referring to classics over genre fiction. I did mean to include todays writers as well in the discussion. Agreeing with Shade, they are writing the classics of tomorrow.
 
i agree and disagree with you. literature kind of spoiled me. i couldn't bear to finish The Nanny Diaries b/c it simply didn't have any substance. it was entertaining and all, but it got old fast. i do love genre fiction though. its more for entertainment i suppose.
 
More for entertainment? And I prefer Literature more for...? Entertainment. The entertainment is better.

It's a tangent but it frustrates me when people dismiss something as entertainment if it requires thinking.
 
Is it a tangent? If so, sorry because I'm about to follow it. Again I agree - sorry to be your yes-man, ions. From time to time people (not necessarily on TBF) disparage literary fiction or classics as they praise genre or popular fiction by saying "I read to be entertained" or "I read for pleasure." This suggests that people who read classics or books that require more effort don't read for pleasure. I doubt this. I don't know anybody who reads their own choice of books for any reason other than pleasure/entertainment. By and large genre fiction doesn't entertain me or give me pleasure because it requires little input from the reader: it's all there for you. To me that's boring; I like to engage with a book. This does not imply that people who don't read my kind of stuff are stupid. Arguably the most intelligent person I know tells me he doesn't read literature for fun because 'I use my brain all day in my job.' Well so do I, and what better way to give it a bit of fun than to exercise it in your free time with stuff that's not work-related?

I agree too that storyline, plot etc are of no consideration when I am buying books. Maybe that's why I do view the genre sections of the bookstore with a certain suspicion. You already know something about the book - its theme - before you even pick it up, so where's the discovery in that?
 
ions said:
More for entertainment? And I prefer Literature more for...? Entertainment. The entertainment is better.

It's a tangent but it frustrates me when people dismiss something as entertainment if it requires thinking.
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i didn't dismiss it b/c it takes thinking. genre books are just easier to read and generally funnier. i actually prefer movies that require thinking and i consider them entertainment.
 
Shade - I haven't always agreed with the things you've posted on the boards, particularly when discussing the validity of genre novels and what some term 'trash' fiction. But your last post makes so much sense, and summarises so susinctly your opinions regarding literature and how you feel about genre novels, that I think I finally start to 'get' what you're all about. The word 'elitist' gets thrown around so often, and it's easy to package people without fully understanding their perspective, ideas and tastes. Thanks for your post - it really helps me understand you better and appreciate your literary views. :)

I enjoy both literary works and genre fiction. But when my life is hectic I tend more towards the easy reads to allow my mind to relax. I find that I cannot give good literature justice when my mind is elsewhere, or should be elsewhere.
 
WoundedThorns said:
i didn't dismiss it b/c it takes thinking. genre books are just easier to read and generally funnier.
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Why is it easier? Specifically. Because it requires less thinking? I see you say that's not the reason but I can't think of any other possibilities. One of the major points, if not the major point was that genre books are generally not written as well so thus more difficult to get through. Having to roll my eyes every other page or so or skim the crud does not make for a better read. Funnier? I am more likely to enjoy the humour of the mind that writes beautifully than the humour of someone who does not. I wasn't gonna mention any authors but Farley Mowat's Never Cry Wolf had me laughing my ass off at times.
 
Most (probably all) books that aren't classic literature are crap. Unless they're destined to one day become a classic. Which is unlikely because people today are stupid and write awful books. My god I never see anything worth reading in the book section in Wal-Mart. Guess there's nothing good out there.

Now if you'll all excuse me I'm going to go read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and then I do believe I shall take a shot at Ulysses by James Joyce. Ah, and then if I'm still up for it, I might just lull myself to sleep with War and Peace by Tolstoy.

Seriously though I do hate just about any modern (as in 80's and post-80s) fiction/nonfiction and especially genre fiction and I almost never read anything that's not classic. I can only think of a few exceptions. Once my dorky D&D friend pressured me to read some stupid Dragonlance book about gnomes living in a mountain and these evil dark elves who attempted to take it over. It was total crap. Then the other was Hearts of the Sea or something by I think this Phil guy...it was about the Essex or whatever it was, this ship that was wrecked by a mean sperm whale and the crew had to cannabalize each other to survive.

Man, you'd think a book with cannabilism in it would be great but overall I wasn't too impressed.

I probably read one or two other recent books but they must've been really awful because I can't even recall anything about them.
 
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