On Essays, Slowing Down, and Reading Purposefully...Part Deux

Last week I talked about a trend in the book blogging world I've noticed where book reviews have been largely replaced by book synopses. I don't believe this is by nefarious design but rather the result of the ridiculous pace that being set by book bloggers in order to keep up with the latest and greatest book releases. The push to read more, to read faster, to keep pumping out the reviews has resulted in a plethora of book review sites whose deepest review of a book might be the words "lyrical prose." Aside from that, what we find is simply a regurgitation of a plot synopsis and star rating. 

We no longer find thoughtful, educated reviews because we are no longer reading books purposefully. And who has the time? With anywhere between ten to twenty reviews scheduled in a given month, the average book blogger simply does not have the time to read any book in a meaningful manner. To simply read the book itself cover to cover is an accomplishment in and of itself. Few, if any, have the time then to re-read the book, dissecting the text structurally to find the deeper meaning and reinforcement of themes. Not only are we depriving ourselves of a greater understanding and enjoyment of literature but if we're not understanding it, how can we properly review it?

I spent a few hours this afternoon reading a random two dozen review of Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. I wasn't looking for professional reviews, but instead focused on the book blogging world, searching for a review that explored image, symbol, archetype. I looked for any discussion about the principle of selection when discussion Tartt's plotting. I looked for any possible hint of a specific (or hell, even general) literary criticism applied to a review: feminist? contemporary? structuralist? Nothing. Most gushed over the story, although they felt it a tad over-long. A few talked about some themes. But if you read some of the professional reviews of the novel, ones that deconstruct the story, you'll find a different opinion than the book blogging world expressed. Interesting, no? I myself only gave the Pulitzer-winning tome a single read and found myself immediately - out of habit - a "review" on the keyboard. I had written approximately two paragraphs before I realized this was no more than plot regurgitation, poorly done at that, before CTRL A, DEL saved each and every one of you from reading that particular hell. Tartt may have written a self-indulgent, Dickensian knock-off that snookered the Pulitzer panel, but surely she deserves better than a plot synopsis and a three-star rating here (spoiler). If I'm going to pan The Goldfinch, I could at least do it properly. What I am suggesting here isn't a unique idea:

"While reading skills are taught and trained, there is occasionally a misconception that understanding of texts, whether oral, written, visual or multimodal, comes naturally and does not need further attention. […] Literature uses language to communicate, and language consists of conventional semiotic signs, based on an agreement between the bearers of a particular language and culture. For anyone outside the given community, conventional signs do not carry any meaning, or at best the meaning is ambivalent. As a consequence, before we can understand a work of literature, we need to be trained in a number of conventions. On the most basic level, we must know how to read, how to make sense of letters, words and sentences - what is normally referred to as literacy. Fiction is, however, more complex than, for instance, everyday language, since it also involves figurative speech and other features and artistic devices which need special knowledge to be understood. […] the language of fiction - in a broad sense, including many layers of artistic conventions - demands a knowledge of and training in certain codes."

— "Literacy, competence and meaning-making: a human sciences approach" (June 2010, Cambridge Journal of Education), Maria Nikolajeva.


Before someone pulls out the old Book Snob card, let's talk about this for a moment. Clearly, not every book is intended to be analyzed under a literary microscope. To deconstruct a JoJo Moyes novel, for example, would be an exercise in futility. Many genre novels are simply meant to be read through quickly and enjoyed. This is why they are called genre novels. It's important to know the difference. To treat literature as a genre novel is to miss out on something greater. And this is where the disconnect lies.

We read so many of these genre novels - so quickly, rush rush rush, get those reviews out, hurry! - that when a novel of important literature is placed before us we frequently don't know how to read it purposefully. This is important. I'll say it again. We don't know how to read it purposefully. Many of us perhaps have forgotten from our long-ago university English classes. Many of us never learned to begin with. So what do we do when this very well-written piece of literature comes before us? We write the same synopsis-type blog entry as we would for any other piece of genre fiction and blow right on to the next book. And this is a disservice this is both to ourselves and our readers. 

I'm not suggesting the book blogging world begin writing 5,000 word reviews of classic Russian literature (although if anyone would, I'd subscribe to your blog immediately and hit the LIKE button so hard the key would break off my laptop). But I do return to the concept of learning to slow down and read purposefully every once in a while. Essays are one way of doing this. Short stories are another. Educating yourself on the literary theory should be far and above more important to the book blogger than how to promote your blog via social media. There are dozens of university websites that offer online resources free for the taking. Apply what you learn to short stories or the latest literary fiction that arrives on your doorstep. Take the time to create a real book review. Your readers will thank you. More readers will flock to your website. I will run to your website. 

Most of all, slow down. Read purposefully. Even if you never craft a book review based on that reading. Do it for your own love of books. 

16 comments:

  1. Praise the Lord! In the time I wrote reviews, I never once copied down a synopsis. I wrote it in my own words, then tried to give my thoughts. Not sure they were very insightful, but I gave it my best. I wrote a review for every book I read as well, and tried to give it the time it deserved. I think bloggers feel they are under pressure to produce (I know I felt this self-imposed pressure many times), but it becomes very obvious to me when people are just cranking that shit out. I have seen reviews before that have made me question whether they even read the thing.

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    1. And why do you think I was so unhappy when you said you weren't going to be reviewing anymore.....hmmmmm?

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  2. I haven't read The Goldfinch yet.
    I could do a lot better on my reviews -- worried about being less conversational and more pedantic and boring. Perhaps I can meet somewhere in the middle. Thanks for the motivation.

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    1. My reviews suck. There I said it. This is part of my issue, I think. Trying to find an answer to all of this....

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  3. I agree with you - most blog book reviews are not that in depth, but I think that has something to do with the medium. The nature of the internet makes us write quickly and keep things brief. I know my reading habits are different on the internet than in print and I mold my writing to conform. That being said, I've noticed that blogs out of the UK tend to be more long form (and i rarely make it to the end of the review).

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    1. Yes, yes, and YES. The internet has made us skim readers like crazy. Me included. That is one of the reasons I've always avoided any kinds of ads on my blog. But that only helps so much. We are a speed reading society...gah.

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  4. Ok. I'm back. YES. YES. and YES.

    I have no problems slowing down to digest essays or short stories (though to write a review on a collection is nearly impossible for me), but POETRY. My mind is not trained to slow down and digest poetry AT. ALL.

    As far as meaningful blogger reviews - I largely agree and while I'm guilty as charged for failing to incorporate deeper literary analysis into m own reviews the whole blogger review turned synopsis is exactly the reason why I cut and paste the synopsis from Goodreads. I *try* to concentrate on other things, the blurb has been written, why try and reinvent the wheel?

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    1. Oh crikey, I'm as guilty as anyone. Pffft. I'm trying to find the happy place. Not sure where it is yet. Trying to write more about literature/books myself, jettison the reviews. Not sure how to do that. Hmmmm. The answer is out there somewhere. Just have to find it.

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  5. I agree with you, and I hope this trend of reading and reviewing a blur of book each week will slow down and allow us to actually discuss a book rather than just tell what happened in the plot. I am guilty of some things you mentioned, but I have already come to this conclusion on my own and have been in the process of adjusting in slow increments. I don't read much highbrow literature, but even what I read needs to be discussed more and just told about less. Thanks for your great input.

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    1. Rita, I'm guilty of it all, too. I'm not good with high-brow lit either, but wish that I could slow down (trying to) and figure it all out. Well, I'm working on it. It's a slow process, you know?

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  6. I kind of agree with you....and I kind of don't. To me a book review is not meant to be in depth, but to give readers a quick idea of what the book is about and why they might want to read it. So I always include the synopsis from the cover or Goodreads, as well as a quick impression of whether I liked the book and why. I try not to go much deeper, because I definitely don't want to give spoilers. The idea is to entice the reader to a book...or warn her away from it!

    However, I get your point about analysis, and that is what I don't like about reviewing. Often when I finish a book, I just want to discuss it, but of course, I can't do that without giving spoilers! What I wish is that there was some kind of blogging circle, where we could post our brief reviews on our individual blog and then come to a 'host' blog to discuss the book in more detail. I agree, I would get a lot more out of a book with some thoughtful analysis.

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    1. Kim: completely love your idea about a place to discuss a book (including spoilers!) after we're done reading it. What a great idea. :D

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  7. I am so conflicted about this post I should just keep my mouth shut but we all know how likely that is. I completely agree with your point about "reviews" that are largely the Goodreads synopsis and have no time for those. On the other hand some kind of description of a book is necessary to inform the reader if it is something they might like. What follows is what makes it a review and if it rushed or hackneyed, then again, it is not a blog I will visit often.

    However, as for reviews that include elements like archetypes, symbols, and literary theory, I leave those to the literary critics, of which I am not one. I am a reviewer and have to consider my audience of readers. If I decided to discuss the use of water as a thematic element in Madame Bovary I would not gain readers nor keep the readers I have happy. They would have no idea what I was talking about. I don't know that I have a large readership of English professors or those who have a degree in English literature. I have people who love books and want to hear what I think about them. And, to the best of my abilities, that's what I give them.

    I am one of those who "crank" out reviews every week but it is because this is my job, my only job, and I give it at least 40 hours a week. So, if book review blogs are going away then I'll just have to keep reading and writing the way I do for myself.

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    1. I think, ultimately, you have to do what makes you happy. If this is what you like to write, by all means do it. As I think I've mentioned before, when I first started this blog, I enjoyed the same thing. Over time, I found my tastes changed. I no longer read blogs that offer simply review after review after review. My to-read pile is high enough and I don't need book recommendations any longer. And I found that my readers (and this was just *my* experience, not meant to reflect anyone else's) were in a similar place. There are literally thousands of those blogs out there and I'm happy to refer folks to them (including to yours!). I simply yearn for something different

      As I say, not a 5000 word in depth deconstruction of War & Peace. But a greater understanding *for myself* so that I can have a more meaningful discussion with fellow readers via blogland about book love. If no one reads a word I say, I'll still be happier and more satisfied than I would churning out reviews. *But that's just me.* And I suspect it has a lot to do with bloggy middle life, since I see it quite a bit with long-time bloggers. Just a thought.

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  8. I feel similarly to Catherine. Personally, I do think I could read more thoughtfully and spend more time with each book. I also think blogging has exacerbated that problem because I do like to post fresh reviews often. However, I don't think I ever want to include literary criticism in my reviews. This is something I always think about when I review a classic for my blog. In those cases, I feel like the literary criticism has been done. Obviously, there is something there worth taking the time to analyze or the books probably wouldn't have become classics. However, I don't see that analysis as the purpose of my review. I want to share a (short!) synopsis and then let people know about my experience of a book. I want that to be thoughtful and I want that to be more than a mere summary. I want to describe a book in a way that can help someone decide if they'd enjoy the book or not and I want to let them know a bit about my perspective on books so they can tell if they're likely to enjoy what I enjoy. In depth literary analysis isn't always something I enjoy and isn't (I think) something every book calls for. It's also hard to do without getting spoiler-y.

    At the same time, you make a great point in your response to Catherine about being able to have meaningful discussions about books. I definitely want that to be something I get out of blogging. Personally, I'm more likely to read a review of a book I've read and I've noticed other bloggers saying the same thing. Perhaps including spoilers in order to write a deeper, more thorough review would make me happier with my blog and the depth of the conversations it starts with other readers. Really great, thought-provoking post!

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  9. I write reviews on my blog because reading is one if the things that I do consistently and in volume. I wish I knew why good books are good from a technical standpoint. Perhaps you could cover some of the basics in blog post form for us...I am willing to learn :)

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Fire away!