“Literary fiction is perpetually in decline. The novel? Dead so many times its death has been a cliche for a hundred years.”
– Anonymous
Introduction:
The decline of literature. That’s a hot topic. And somewhat of a polarizing one. On one side, you have arguments advocating that it’s not declining, just evolving. On the other side, you have arguments that the quality is clearly on a rapid decline. So who is right?
Bad books have always existed. It’s not like there was some time in history when all books were perfect works of art. Know what happened to those bad books? We forgot about them. History proved they were bad because they didn’t stand the test of time. Still standing tall are the great pieces of literature (e.g. Pride and Prejudice, The Art of War, or Walden.)
I think an over-dramatized statement is that there are no more good books being written in today’s literary climate. I do not believe this is true; however, I would not disagree that it may be more difficult to find a good book. Given that we have more people writing than ever and more books than ever, you’d think we’d be finding more “good” books popping up. And yet, it does seem to be a common complaint that it’s hard to find any.
Before delving into the topic, people do have different opinions about what “good” literature is. Some would argue that there has not been a decline of literature, but in fact, it has improved. This depends on your worldview to some extent, because how one defines “good” is shaped by that perspective. Let’s take a look at both sides of the argument.
Arguments Against the Decline of Literature
The first argument against the decline of literature has to do with the subjectivity of what makes “good literature.” What is the standard we are holding books from our post-modern era to? If you list off some iconic, classical books, what makes them the gold standard for literature? What are you comparing them to? Sure, the English language may be more complex in those books, but does that make literature “better?” Honestly, it could be said that some of those books are a bit too lengthy and go off on tangents that we have learned to cut out of our post-modern literature. And to that, I say, “fair point.”
The second argument is that we now have more styles than ever before. There are more options for us to choose from. We have multiple genres and multiple sub-genres. Anyone can choose any sort of book that best fits their preferences. The barrier to entry to begin reading is lower than ever, because reading is easier and you can choose whatever you would like to read. Not to mention, the universal guidelines for writing are being challenged. Some authors are attempting to break the mold so that they can tell their stories more effectively.
The last argument is that there is now much more diversity in literature. For the last several centuries, books were primarily written by a single demographic of people with the occasional outlier. Only the somewhat wealthy could write books. Now, anyone, anywhere, can write a book about anything they want. There are more perspectives than ever in literature from people of all groups. Nothing is holding anyone back from taking up a computer and writing a book.
The Internet and the Decline of Literature?
Before exploring the arguments for the decline of literature, let’s take a look at how social media and the internet has affected literature. A lot of the arguments for the decline of literature will stem from this topic.
Let’s start with the most obvious (and objective) fact – the internet has completely ruined our attention spans. Like completely. Before even discussing social media, let’s look at reading on the Internet itself. If you were to read an article online, you will find that there are multiple hyper-links within the text and then several suggestions about other articles you could read. Already, your mind is being distracted by the possibility of selecting one of these links. Then, there’s the chance you will click it. If not right away, you will think about clicking it later when you get to the end of your article. Oh, and let’s not forget about the ads all over the place. Those are pretty distracting too. So now your eyes are zipping all over the screen from ads to links, unable to deeply focus on reading.
Now bring Social Media into the equation. If the Internet wasn’t enough, now you have a platform that is specifically designed to get you hooked by new short form content every 30 seconds or less. You are always moving onto the next post, selecting and choosing what will entertain you.
The powerful combination of these two forces has ruined our ability to read deeply. Our brains have been rewired to always be looking for the next thing. We skim over text more than we read it. Our reading minds have been atrophied. And this leads to the next segment…
Arguments for the Decline of Literature
Keeping in mind everything about social media/the internet, let’s look at some people’s concerns about why literature quality may be declining.
Publishers typically have one incentive – to sell what will make them money. They’re a business after all. They are not always going to prioritize art over product. So they will cater to whatever the people want. And if people, trained by the internet, want books that are shorter, easier to read, and gives them quick hits of dopamine, publishers are going to be inclined to sell these sorts of books. So instead of long, thoughtful books, most publishers are going to focus their energies on writing styles that are simplistic.
Less people are reading too. Why? Well, reading is too hard. And not to mention, we’re just too busy to read. So once again, publishers are going to be incentivized to sell easier books to read. To add to that, the books have to keep the reader’s attention. So the content has changed too – it tends to be more sensual and “edgy.” It has to err on the extreme side in order to compete with social media. In a lot of ways, books tend to be content over quality.
The last argument I will unpack is actually counter to the last argument made against the decline of literature. The barrier of entry is just too low. If anyone, anywhere, can write a book, it means there is going to be less artistic pieces of literature available. Instead of an author having to perfect their skill of writing over a long period of time and fighting to have their book published, anyone can self-publish at any time. It’s just too easy to create a book.
Conclusion
So, where do I fall on this debate? I do believe that there has been a decline in literature quality over the past couple decades. But I will caveat it… There are talented authors alive today and still good books to be found. I just think they are drowning in the sea of mass produced literature. I believe that with time, they will stand out, like every other great classic.
If I may make a couple more arguments for the decline of literature: I think there has been a decline due to the over all decline of culture and intellectual conversations due to the internet. We’ve become somewhat flippant, narrow-minded, and unable to engage in civilized conversations. Books are, by nature, a conversation. They are talking to you. Many of the classics stand the test of time because they have deep, resonant themes and ideas. They inspire conversations amongst their readers and cause us to debate them for years to come. We’ve lost our ability to do this well, generally speaking, and so, we are just not writing books with the intention of inspiring such conversations.
There is a call to action here: The first would be to read more of the classic literature pieces that exist. Because why not? They will give you much to think about and discuss. Sure, some of them are pretty long winded, but even these are offering deep things to ponder. The second is to be selective about what books you decide to read. Promote books you want to see more of, and don’t just read fodder to dull your mind. Seek to read things to grow and expand your intellect and emotional capacity. And the reward you will find will be worth the effort it takes.
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