Forget about even reading the book, people demand tat books be banned just based on the idea

Charlotte, I agree, there is a mechanical reader lurking in all of us. It is so easy to slip into the habit because it is such and easy habit to have!

Abbi, your example is quite a compelling argument in Wharton’s favor and I must admit to you being right. I think we should encourage everyone to read, but clearly, there are some who take to it like a duck to water and others for whom it will always be a chore.

Dorothy, I like your take on the essay, types of readers makes sense. The ones who want to improve their reading should be supported in that. And will I be whipped if I say the people who don’t want to read should not be made to feel badly about it?

Daphne, oh yes, I’d class you with the intuitive reader. But I think we all slip into mechanical now and then.

Litlove, I’ve been doing some investigating after your comment and you are right, Wharton was not being tongue-in-cheek. She could be a rather, er, assertive person. The argument rages on and will continue to rage on as long as there are readers and non-readers. Hopefully there will be lots of readers for a very long time!

Susan, wow, it doesn’t even sound like you and your sister are really from the same family! Amazing how things like that work out. I too hope that the ones who will never be readers are a small subset. Number bear it out, but we can keep hoping that will change!

JeanShin7, I love your metaphors! I wonder if we can argue that good literature makes you thin and junk books make ou fat? Imagine, the Virginia Woolf diet, lose 10 pounds in 10 days! And thanks for letting me know about WSJ, it was a pleasant surprise!

Heahter, LOL, yeah, a classic black and white possibly as horrifying as Creature from the Black Lagoon or The Blob

Dadeo, exclusive clubs aren’t fair and that’s why Wharton’s essay chaffs me a bit. I find it admirable that you are developing as a reader. I think even people who call themselves intuitive readers could always work at being better too. It’s not a competition. The point is to enjoying reading and that is something everyone can do.

happyclam, hello and welcome! There are few worse things than forced reading. What a slog that can be even for people who love to read. I love that you carry poetry in your handbag to black-tie events! It is always good to be prepared!

Carrie, one person’s trash is another’s treasure, right? Still, I hope I somehow manage to find a balance between trash and the good stuff but I wouldn’t want to ask Wharton for her opinion!

Maire, I hope you found the essay an amusing and thought-provoking read. You are right, there is something that feels right about it but it gets buried in the meanness and snobbery.

andalucy, LOL, maybe you are right. I’ll bet Wharton secretly loved sensationalist fiction or something like that. Thanks for you kind words and the link! Too bad we couldn’t have connected before you left Minneapolis.

I love your blog! I discovered it today, too, from the WSJ article. I lived in lovely Minneapolis too until a couple months ago.

I posted about this essay on my blog today and linked back to you. I’m interested to see what my friends think of it.