Books That Suck--LOLOMGWTFWWJD

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

I'm pretty sure it's a well-described psychological phenomenon that people generally mistake "sad" for "profound" . . . as if depressing or sad outcomes are the only ones that teach a lesson or impress a point on others.

Personally, I think To Kill a Mockingbird is generally pretty overrated - it's a fine book, but it seems to fit easily and completely into the "Young Adult Fiction" category. The "lessons" taught by the book are bold-face and didactic, leaving the reader to do almost no work other than "Bawwwww, bad things are bad." That's not a bad thing, per se, but it's certainly not the mark of profound art. Put another way: anybody whose life or world view was fundamentally altered by TKAM was probably on the right path anyway (or open to it), and a well-timed interview with Tracy Morgan or listening to a Little Brother album might have had the same effect. Neither will go down as profound.

By comparison, Huckleberry Finn seems far more clever in its attempt to 'see' the other side of a social issue - to the point where it might go too far in the wrong direction, mocking or lampooning to an extent that the "target audience" isn't let in on the story's point. This problem is likely getting worse as the story ages and context is lost.

Good points. I miss reading more KSig RC posts.