Ever Since I began reading for my own sake rather than for school, I have started to think about what (for me) separates an enjoyable read from a dreadful one. Throughout the years, the only criteria I'd use to distinguish whether or not I would enjoy a book or movie was the subject matter. I would tend to lean towards science fiction or comedic literature when choosing what to read. However, as of late I've become interested in more humanistic, psychologically themed stories.
This is what got me thinking; why now, all of the sudden have I diverted my attention to a completely different style of literature and enjoyed it through and through? Not only this, but what other types of stories might I enjoy?
After pondering this for awhile, and reading more books, I've come to the conclusion that my literary preferences aren't genre based, they're based on the author's writing style. I could read about anything as long as its written in a way that keeps me entertained and more importantly, engaged. I know for a fact I'm not alone on this
For example, most recently I was recommended Lord of The Flies by William Golding for its underlying political commentary. Though this book is supposed to be right up my alley, I found myself uninterested and bored after a few chapters. Golding's writing style was to romantic and fluffy for my taste. Not only that, but the descriptions and dialogues were far too British for me to grasp, as funny as that may sound.
On the other hand, I'm currently enjoying the novella "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad because of his interesting motifs and innovative ways of portraying human interaction. It just goes to show, maybe its not so much the subject matter that determines your interest in literary pieces, but the way its written. Consider this next time you pass on a book merely because of its subject matter.
On the other hand, I'm currently enjoying the novella "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad because of his interesting motifs and innovative ways of portraying human interaction. It just goes to show, maybe its not so much the subject matter that determines your interest in literary pieces, but the way its written. Consider this next time you pass on a book merely because of its subject matter.
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2 comments:
Thoughtful post, Cody. Stylistic preferences are definitely individualistic and key to our engagement to a text. Small example: I eventually grew to really enjoy the Harry Potter series, but at first I had a very hard time with them, mainly because of Rowling’s ridiculous overuse of adverbs (especially in the first book). It's a small thing, admittedly, and definitely pegs me as an English dork, but it was something that stuck in my craw.
Interesting note about Conrad: English was third language, after Polish and French, which makes the fact that he was so stylistically self-assured in English (his works weren't translated-- he wrote them in English) all the more remarkable.
I can really relate to this, Cody. Unlike many of my friends and countless girls across the nation, I am not going gaga over the Twilight series. I read the first book and simply was not interested--not because of the subject matter (vampires, romance, life-and-death situations. Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?), but because I just couldn't get over its style. It was written in an easy-to-read sort of way, so easy that in my opinion the book seemed to be lacking in some areas. A few of my friends seem to think it didn't impress me because I wouldn't be into the whole vampire thing. Not true-- hand me something about Dracula and if it's written in a style I can go with, I bet I would like it.
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