Why can't I like more than one thing?

by Toni L.P. Kelner

I'm going to commit an internet faux pas and quote from a bulletin board on the Neopets web site. The board is for aspiring writers, and one fellow posted the following today:

When I see all the HP, LOTR, and Twighlight fans and get depressed I remember that I used to be one of those tasteless fantasy nerds

and I also remember the solution:

IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED MASSES, PLEASE READ ANYTHING BY KURT VONNEGUT, HE WRITES SCIFI/FANTASY AND WILL BE A NICE TRANSITION FOR YOU

into real books that is

In later posts, he goes on to say that the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer are all trash, with simplistic storylines and one-dimensional characters.

I'm not going to argue with that.

Not that I agree with him, mind you. Though I haven't read Meyer's work and can't comment on it, I love the Harry Potter books and Lord of the Rings books, and have read and re-read them many times. But that's a matter of taste, or personal preference, so it would be silly to argue about.

Nor am I going to argue that Kurt Vonnegut is anything less than a terrifically powerful writer. I haven't read much of his work, but it was enough to know that he's tremendously talented.

What I'm going to argue with is this guy's idea that once I read Vonnegut, I will stop liking Rowling and Tolkien. Why would I do that? Why can't I like more than one thing at a time? What about Shakespeare? Would he ruin me for Vonnegut, or vice versa? Can't I like Jane Austen and Mark Twain?

Of course I can! I like them all. I own and read them all. My brain seems to be able to handle the cognitive dissonance just fine.

I believe this guy thinks that it's not a matter of not being able to enjoy different authors, but more that once I've read a so-called good book, then I'll no longer care to waste my time on so-called trashy books. Obviously that begs the question of what's a good book and what's a trashy book. Frankly, I think it would be a meaningless argument. That whole matter of personal preference comes into it again.

But for the sake of argument, what if I thought that Vonnegut's work was better than Tolkien's. So what? Can't I enjoy more than one level of quality? If I go to a four-star restaurant in Munich, does that mean I can no longer enjoy a burger at McDonald's? If I watch Hamlet, do I have to stop watching Underdog cartoons? If I read James Joyce, do I have to throw out my X-Men comics?

Of course not.

I like lots of books, and lots of kinds of books. My husband and I have thousands of books, and while Vonnegut, Tolkien, Rowling, and Meyer are all in our library, they represent only a tiny fraction of the authors whose work I love. Sure, I think some of our books are better than others, in countless ways. I have a degree in English and many years experience writing, so of course I have opinions about quality. But I don't stay up nights worrying about which one is the best.

Instead, I try to appreciate a piece of writing for what it IS, rather than dismiss it for what it IS NOT and never intended to be. In other words, Rowling wasn't trying to write Vonnegut, and Meyer wasn't trying to write Tolkien.

It comes down to what my friend Doug once said. He had an advanced degree in English himself, and one day my husband saw him reading a fairly low-brow book and asked how he could stand it after studying loftier tomes. Doug shrugged and said, "When I feel like reading Henry James, I read Henry James."

We've got some Henry James, too. I kind of like it. I don't think Vonnegut will mind.

Comments

[zhadi]

Good writing is good writing, whether it's JK Rowlings, Vonnegut or Stephen King. I truly don't understand people who feel as book has to be categorized as 'literary' to be worthwhile. It chaps my hide...

[Maria Lima]

Toni, that kind of narrow-minded thinking just makes me want to scream.

Who's to say what I like and don't like - and yes, some days, I want a full-fledge five-course meal and others, I'm happy with a Powerbar. Neither cancels out the other, nor are they mutually exclusive. There is room in the world for all types of books.

As Zhadi says above: good writing is good writing and it's our (the readers') prerogative to make our own choices of what to read.

And yeah, he chaps my hide, too.

[Dana Cameron]

Right on, Maria! I was going straight to the cuisine comparison myself, but you and Toni nailed it: it's what feeds your mood at the moment. And there are lots of nice and encouraging ways to introduce someone to a new author (or genre or cuisine or art), like, 'hey, if you like X, you might also like Y,' but I don't think that was what this guy was trying to do. His pronouncements make me wonder why he's so angry.

[Mothrababe]

This person's guiding light towards 'literary fiction' is a bit dim. It sounds like he prefers his own image of 'enlightened reader' to actually reading and recognizing something of worth. Fiction-wise, I've read everthing from cozies to classics, fantasy and sf, speculative futurist, young adult futurist, and children's picture books. I don't let anyone dictate what I read or when. I have my own tastes, and I review books, but I don't let my pet peeves mar the enjoyment someone else might have for the same book I didn't think much of. Pity that this 'critic' didn't have the same better manners. :-D

Cheers,
Marianne