Oct 10, 2012

The neverending fight between traditional criticism and book bloggers.

I am confused.

Are we bloggers really going to be the ruin of literature as we know it?

There have been articles upon articles recently about the validity of book blogging and the downfall of traditional criticism. Apparently, one cannot live while the other survives.

I see nothing wrong with either form.

My issue comes with the idea that bloggers are going to end literature. It's a naive and uninformed opinion stated by those who have clearly never read a book blog. While they're busy wailing about how we know nothing, we generate discussion about the merits of reading. We extend our knowledge of literature to include both classic literature and more recent works. Discussions include which men are hottest and why gender norms shouldn't necessarily be adhered to.

We merge both sides of our lives - the bibliophilic side and the social side. We read books that could or could not be considered elitist without ever embracing that kind of ideal.

We read.

So instead of worrying about the end of literature as we know it, I'm going to read a book.

Nicole out.

8 comments:

  1. Great post! I still think the refusal of a lot of traditional media (over here in the UK, at least) to review YA or genre fiction is likely to do more harm to literature than us book bloggers can!

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  2. Please don't let the negative comments of others to discourage you from blogging!

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  3. I agree with your statement, "I see nothing wrong with either form."

    I prefer to read reviews that come from readers like myself... young, possibly uninformed (and by that I mean not a professional, although there are various levels of book blogging that range from amateur to very professional) and reading for the sake of reading. Because the reviews are written by readers like me, I can trust that review to give me an accurate idea of whether I'll like a book or not.

    Jane
    janestoryblog.blogspot.com

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  4. Brilliantly stated - after reading this I can't believe anyone would look down on bloggers - you make us all look good! ;) Thanks!

    Robyn
    booksreadingitall.blogspot.com

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  5. so dumb. That's like saying Amazon reviews will kill Consumer Reports magazine. I see bloggers as the voice of the populace, who fill a niche that critics don't.

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