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tsmartini's avatar

I'm curious about whether, in your research on reading for this post, you found anything meaningful about its connection to writing skills? I've never done a deep dive on this, but have wondered whether exposure to good writing, regardless of genre, helps people to internalize general rules of grammar and word choice that would help them to better articulate themselves in writing.

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Mindless Thoughts's avatar

Someone has to defend the snobs, and if no one intelligent will, then the duty falls to me. This is way too wordy, but I am not as good a writer as you are (yet!), so bear with me.

I share your skepticism for claims about reading uniquely fostering empathy/other dubious claims you discuss (I would extend that skepticism to all of art). The issue is more a moral one. I (and many people, including you) believe it is simply better to consume great works of art to lesser ones, because a) appreciating and basking in the wonder of great beauty is good, and b) since knowing and considering more is always better, and literature raises difficult intellectual and philosophical problems. You should love what is good

First there are attention spans. As someone in his 20s, if my friends don't read, they can't read. I don't mean they are illiterate (I've read online that many college students struggle with basic literacy/grammar now, but it feels a little hyperbolic to me, and doesn't reflect my (non-representative) milieu). Rather, their (and often my) attention spans are too short to be able to properly consume a novel, even if you read it in 30 minute chunks.

Like everyone else in my generation, my ability to read will come and go with practice, but if you can't sit still and pay attention to a novel, you aren't focussing on watching a movie, or a TV show. You definitely are not getting any of the thought-provoking ideas in the TV show. Reading is a signal of your ability to pay attention to works of art. Paying attention is good because it improves your ability to do things a) and b) above

Second, effort can be meaningful. You claim that we think that something is worth more if we spend effort on it. I don't disagree with this, but in the context of reading, if you spend more time with something, spend more effort with it, you will understand the words, the sentences, the flow, the characters, the dialogue better. These first two points account for the suspicion of e-book listeners. Good taste is just a lot of knowledge and experience, and putting in effort will improve your experience and knowledge.

In case you still harbour any doubts as to whether or not I am a prick, let me settle it right now. I learned Chaucerian Middle English in high school (yes this was on my lunch breaks, and yes, the girls went crazy for it). Even now, I go WAY slower when I read him than basically anything else. I also notice and learn the most about his rhythm, rhyme, and other assorted audible effects he has created with it. I would not learn anything from a movie using his dialogue, because I would just get all my cues from the visual effects, and I would miss out on an important and obvious element of the film.

Effort may not lead to a sturdier cabinet compared to a pre-built one, but you will understand the object better and know the craft better if you build it yourself. When it comes to art, that is what makes it meaningful, and makes you appreciate it.

Third, many forms of art are still pretty young, and I doubt the longevity of many of the top works. For example, I am far from convinced that many "classic" TV shows will be watched 2500 years from now. The filtering between something meaningful, and sound and fury signifying nothing takes time. I would exempt older movies, obviously. consuming a novel from two centuries ago means you are definitely consuming something of the highest caliber, but that is not obviously true of something from the past 40 years.

I don't want to get dragged into a debate about classics, but I also (surprise!) am a hypocritical snob about learning the classics. More books are classics than movies, and virtually no TV shows have been around long enough to earn the title of eternal classic yet. If someone reads, they are much more likely to be consuming a classic than if they watch TV or Movies. Since something with more depth is better than something with less depth, reading is more likely to lead to better moral outcomes.

It is absolutely possible for a full-on movie snob to be as fulfilling of a moral obligation to appreciate art as a literature nerd, but that is not what is implied when someone says "I don't really have time to read.", and we all know it. It is also possible to be too snobby; if someone spends a lot of time volunteering at a food bank, and unwinds with a mindless sitcom late at night, they are more moral than a person who reads Shakespeare and Dante all day. But when I see someone reading on the bus while I scroll twitter and ignore my book, I know my place, and so should the rest of you heathens. You should love what is good, and every day is an opportunity for all of us to get a little bit better at it.

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