Thursday 19 February 2015

Dumbing down

 #Reading
 
The dumbing down wolf now comes in sheep's clothing. Certainly, getting people to read is the aim of the latest scheme, but, oh, are we really incapable of immersing ourselves in books these days? We used to be brought up reading Stevenson, Poe, Dickens, etc., so I'm sure the children of the 21st century, not to mention adults, can cope with normal length novels.
            In the latest edition of 'Booktime', the free magazine advertising the latest books, the first page is devoted to 'Quick Reads'. This is proudly sponsored by Galaxy chocolate. The books are written by bestselling writers, aimed at giving 'a fast and satisfying read'. Surely the joy of immersing oneself in a good book is to take time out, relax and not rush through it - unless, of course, the pace is so frantic that you just have to keep turning the page.
            No, educate the populace in the joy of literature by all means, but please, please not with adulterated novels that pander to those with short attention spans.

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