Wednesday 2 July 2014

SF? I know I shouldn't, but...

Why, oh why, do we apologise, in actual words or just in our manner, for liking a particular book, or genre?

I'm sure we've all done it. "I like SF" immediately springs to mind. We 'admit' to liking it, mindful it's not cool, or it's clearly beneath a grownup's notice. Some of us may 'admit' to reading YA SF - even worse! And feel obliged to defend our weird taste.

Me? I seem to have worked my way through that phase. I can even declare "I collect different kinds of vampire stories" with a straight face. Or at least a smile.

What it occurs to me I haven't quite grown out of is 'admitting' that sometimes I don't like a book that 'everyone else' admires or loves. I can be honest about most but it still feels awkward saying I disliked a 'big' book, or even that I couldn't finish it.

Yet why should I feel awkward? Books vary, writers vary, and readers vary. I'm not going to love a book just because 'everyone else' does. I'm definitely not going to say I do when I don't. That would be cowardly. So no, I'm resolved I won't feel bad about either any more.

Though hopefully I'll still be polite about it. :)

1 comment:

  1. I've never really understood Readers Elitism. But then I have a problem understanding Racism. Possibly I should restate this. I understand it perfectly well. Being a tolerant person, I merely choose to Ignore it. Science Fiction/Fantasy has Inspired more advances in Humanity than a Tome of any other nature.

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