There was an interesting article in the Post this morning about a new, free magazine being distributed at metro stations. Bit o' Lit is meant to fill a void left by the far ends of the traditional mass-transit-reading spectrum: it's neither a trashy newspaper, nor is it a heavy book. While I know I should be glad that some commuters may finally put down their tabloids in exchange for something of relative substance, this seems to be just another easy way out.
The magazine's founder says that she's simply providing commuters with an option. While it's fair to argue that reading Bit o' Lit may be better than catching up on celebrity gossip, it just seems like more fuel for our instant gratification culture. Why should students bother to read a full-length book when Cliffs Notes hit the high points? Why should adults bother to curl up for hours with a good book when the Reader's Digest or Bit o' Lit version will do the trick in a few minutes? True reading is about so much more than a give-it-to-me-quickly plot synopsis. It's about delving into subplots, character analyses, and symbolism. It's about rewarding oneself with the pleasure of getting lost in a book.
I'm all in favor of anything that will get Americans to read, but I wish we would stop trying to placate the masses and start trying to challenge them!
5 comments:
Placating sucks.
Hey, speaking of, do you have any books you are recommending these days? I'm on the last book in the stack I bought in the spring.
If you read R's blog, an interesting book I'm reading is The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penny. (I guess I can't punctuate my title correctly. Ironic, isn't it?) It's a tad cumbersome, but it is one of those history-based novels which works in a pinch.
And I agree. Everything has to be "user friendly" and little or no work. Another great SIGH! People want everything. including education, to be easy and perfect. Cannot be dond!
...but at the same time, not everybody reads for character analysis and symbolism. A lot of people read simply as escapism or for a good story. The things that delight writerly readers clearly don't capture many other readers (why else would there be such a huge market for Harlequin novels, she asked with a mischievous glint in her eye).
The publisher also makes a good point in the article -- she says that people don't necessarily read book reviews, and just because one person thinks a book is great doesn't mean you will too. Giving excerpts, then, is a great way for people to see for themselves if they'd like to read a certain book, rather than trusting the opinion of a stranger. It's kind of like trusting a movie trailer or a YouTube clip versus trusting Roger Ebert.
And one never can tell... Bit o' Lit might inspire people to pick up the full book once they're familiar or hooked. How many people go flocking out to buy the book once they've seen the movie (and now that they can buy the book in a cleverly repackaged edition that has, say, Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman on the cover)? I mean, we went to see Becoming Jane and I hadn't read Becoming Jane Austen, yet when I got home, I ordered it from my library (and still haven't finished it, but that's beside the point).
It will be interesting to see how the Bit o' Lit progresses, if it gains a following or dies out after a few months. It will also be interesting to see in libraries and bookstores in its circulation area if requests go up for the books it promotes.
I hope you're right, Primrose! Leave it to you to find the silver lining. You've always been the ray of optimistic sunshine to my eternal cloud of pessimism.
For the record, though, I make a point never to buy a book with a movie still on the cover. :)
I think a good clip from the last comment would be merely "not everybody reads. . . ." The number of times I've heard students complain about having to read is as innumerable as the stars.
If they are given the least common denominator, that is what will satisfy. Sorry to add the drops from the silver lining, but it's true. I cannot imagine the great unwashed searching for the full version when the abbreviated does just fine, thank you. :( Sorry,that's what [quite]a few years has shown.
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