RARA-AVIS: Re: Urban Fiction

From: Gonzalo Baeza (gbaeza@gmail.com)
Date: 06 Jan 2009

  • Next message: jacquesdebierue: "RARA-AVIS: Re: Urban Fiction"

    Iīve always thought that as long as people are reading, I donīt particularly care for the genre or even the literary quality of the books in question. Be it Harry Potter, Twilight or a Harlequin Romance, it doesnīt make a difference to me because even the most crass form of literature can help people enhance their vocabulary, ability to express themselves and reading comprehension skills. In the case of the ineptly-named "urban fiction" Iīve read articles pointing out how it reaches out to a demographic group that otherwise wouldnīt buy novels at all. Judging by the covers, titles and jacket copy of most urban lit, it is certainly not my cup of tea. As a matter of fact, it look pretty crappy. Nonetheless, if it makes more people read and spend money on books, then it's all fine. Who knows, some of its readers might eventually "graduate" to other forms of fiction such as straightforward crime & mystery or maybe authors like Walter Mosley.

    -Gonzalo.

    --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "jacquesdebierue"
    <jacquesdebierue@...> wrote:
    >
    > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, DJ-Anonyme@ wrote:
    > ."
    > >
    > > That's the second time this week I've run across a mention of
    Marcuse
    > > (the other was to his theory of repressive tolerance). Hadn't
    heard his
    > > name in years, maybe decades. One thing I remember from One
    Dimensional
    > > Man was his argument (actually just an aside) that it's better,
    more
    > > liberating, to screw in a field than in a car.
    >
    > It has been a long time since I have read his books, but his themes,
    > like those of Fromm and others, pointed out a tendency towards
    > dehumanization. Point well taken, I think.
    >
    > Best,
    >
    > mrt
    >



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