In the comments to the post about the decline of the novel as an art form, Melissa said:
"So all you're really saying here is that you aren't finding a lot of fiction you like -- which does not correlate to "no good fiction being written."
This struck me as pretty true as soon as I read it. I was substituting my preference for long-winded foreigners for "good" literature. Consider me chastened and enlightened. I will now continue to ignore most modern writers because I do not like them, not because they aren't good.
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2 comments:
Despite my defense of modern fiction, that list I gave represents pretty much the limit of what I enjoy from contemporary fiction. I read about 200 books a year, on average, and more than three-fourths of that is something other than literary fiction. I'm strongly in favor of not reading anything I don't enjoy.
I will now continue to ignore most modern writers because I do not like them, not because they aren't good.
This sounds like a cop-out to me. Not that you don't have every right to do so. We all have limited personal resources and deciding that modern fiction isn't worthwhile to you is a perfectly valid choice. I just wonder if you've actually given modern fiction much of a fair shake. It seems to me like your mind is pretty much made up and you're not really willing to consider alternative viewpoints and/or try new authors no matter if they are, to steal a phrase, of good report and/or praiseworthy.
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