Hemmingway, DH Lawrence,Kerouac, Bukowski, Henry Miller, Doyle, etc. were all considered low-brow "pop-culture" authors, not particularly well written, and in many cases considered badly written trash. In fact, I could even be convinced that these are trash written for the lowest common denominator. However hindsight being 20/20, these authors have had the status elevated for a number of reasons. If one were to solely cite the influence on literature these authors have had, it would be profound.
Today's best selling novels are indeed trashy... Interview with a Vampire, Harry Potter, Twilight, Shades of Grey, just to point out the fiction. But best selling writers go beyond fiction. There's also crappy political shit (Ann Coulter), self help shit (Rhonda Byrne), and unauthorized biography shit.
Evolution is not a linear process. We've come a long way since the King James Bible and Shakespeare. In the last decades we've expanded the use of hashtags, backslashes and semicolons. Dictionaries have evolved and Thesauruses expanded. We have different dictionaries for legal, medical, and even urban environments.
There is no doubt in my mind that the most influential authors of this decade are not people, but formats. Twitter helped organize revolutions. Facebook keeps us in touch with family and friends. And the list will no doubt grow.
Are kids reading? There are more billboards and warning labels then ever before. I don't think one needs to understand every ten dollar word to be considered literate, Our kids text, tweet, pm, post, in new short forms undecipherable by some but communicated clearly to intended recipients.
I think we have to expand our definition of what being "literate" means. Is it really such a restrictive term? I would like to think it's progressed over the years. The ability to read and write is obviously a communication skill. Kids are more apt at this skill then our forefathers.
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Date: 5/1/13 21:11 (UTC)Today's best selling novels are indeed trashy... Interview with a Vampire, Harry Potter, Twilight, Shades of Grey, just to point out the fiction. But best selling writers go beyond fiction. There's also crappy political shit (Ann Coulter), self help shit (Rhonda Byrne), and unauthorized biography shit.
Evolution is not a linear process. We've come a long way since the King James Bible and Shakespeare. In the last decades we've expanded the use of hashtags, backslashes and semicolons. Dictionaries have evolved and Thesauruses expanded. We have different dictionaries for legal, medical, and even urban environments.
There is no doubt in my mind that the most influential authors of this decade are not people, but formats. Twitter helped organize revolutions. Facebook keeps us in touch with family and friends. And the list will no doubt grow.
Are kids reading? There are more billboards and warning labels then ever before. I don't think one needs to understand every ten dollar word to be considered literate, Our kids text, tweet, pm, post, in new short forms undecipherable by some but communicated clearly to intended recipients.
I think we have to expand our definition of what being "literate" means. Is it really such a restrictive term? I would like to think it's progressed over the years. The ability to read and write is obviously a communication skill. Kids are more apt at this skill then our forefathers.