Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
but even from my side of the aisle I think that both sides should temper their more judgmental terms about the other. I'm always rather surprised that some think that those who read litfic or nonfiction aren't reading for fun. Fun is where you find it.
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Agreed. And along the line of "reading for fun", and without (hopefully) rambling on too long (a failure, I believe); I was asked what seemed like a fairly innocent question over the holiday that I think I answered too quickly.
"You enjoy reading for reading's sake, don't you?"
I immediately went with my gut and replied, "yes." He said that he did not. But after further contemplation, I realized that wasn't true
at all (neither my answer nor his). Enjoying "reading for reading's sake" would imply that I would still take enjoyment from reading something that I find extremely offensive; or something that I find boring, uninteresting, or even something horribly written; or that I get enjoyment from moving my eyes across any text I might encounter. I don't. I "enjoy" reading things I find enjoyable (which merely encompasses "fun" for me. It's not
defined by it), fulfilling and/or enlightening.
As does everyone who is reading something entirely voluntarily, I think (not that assigned reading can't be enjoyable too, but that's a different topic). The person who asked the question, for instance, primarily reads (or listens to) non-fiction. He knows that I primarily read fiction. The point is that both of us read on an entirely voluntary basis. No assigned reading for classes, certification, or work for either of us. We're reading things we both
want to read.
So I've discovered that whenever someone seeks to question/denigrate another's voluntary reading preferences—or seek to zealously defend their own—(whether it's fiction vs non-, or litfic vs genre), it's because they're striving to make their preferences seem less frivolous, or striving to make someone else's seem more so. But the fact of the matter is: all voluntary reading is entirely frivolous. Only the personal definitions of "fun" and "enjoyment" fluctuate. **
So what my family member should have asked me was, "you enjoy reading what you enjoy, don't you?" To which my response should have been, "Of course I do. So do you."
As to the topic and the study, the only wrench I would throw into the works is that litfic has a penchant for cherry-picking the "best" genre works for inclusion in its own ranks. Which suggests to me that even though word-selection may play a part in how "seriously" a work is read, the label the work is ultimately given will play a big part as well. If we're told there's subtext or social commentary to glean from something, those who find that sort of thing interesting will look for it—regardless of the category/label or word-choice.
** I realize there is a small sampling of voluntary readers who "enjoy" torturing themselves with works that run entirely counter to their own nature/proclivities, but that doesn't really change my premise. It just proves that personal interpretations of "enjoyment" can vary wildly. Some people "enjoy" being miserable, too.