Sept 27, 2021
Have you experienced or witnessed genre shaming, where readers/authors degrade a genre? If so, how do you deal with it?
I’m guilty, and I admit it. I can’t handle the concept of a dinosaur shifter billionaire US president romance. There’s one out there, somewhere, or at least there used to be. If I recall correctly, it was a novella, and I didn’t finish reading it.
I became aware of genre shaming years ago, when “experts” touted the concept that anything that wasn’t “serious” writing was not valuable. That including science fiction, action adventure, and of course, romance. (And heaven forbid that a comic book might be considered literature!) I didn’t know any better, and accepted it, but that didn’t stop me from reading and enjoying books from those genres.
Two things happened around the same time frame. I realized that the act of reading is more important that what genre is read, and I started doubting the experts. What’s wrong with reading to escape the real world for a few hours? Any story that opens a reader up to new ideas and new ways of thinking is valuable. There are benefits to reading what is comfortable and easy as well.
I’ve read poorly written “high literature” and well written Westerns. The storylines of comic book heroes resemble
classic literature. While I may prefer vampires that smell like dirt over ones that sparkle, I won’t deride someone else for their choice. I’ll be glad to share my opinion on a particular book, but I won’t give bad marks to a story because of its premise. (Okay, I might make an exception in the case of that dinosaur billionaire shifter story.)
My response to people who genre shame? I ask them what’s wrong with reading paranormal or motorcycle club or an apocalyptical combination of the two? And who gets to define what “literature”? Today’s popular but scorned book may become the next decade’s classic.
I think I’ve rattled on long enough. Let’s find out what the other authors on this hop have to say. Just follow the links below!
As always, until next time, please stay safe. And read!
Sept 27, 2021
Have you experienced or witnessed genre shaming, where readers/authors degrade a genre? If so, how do you deal with it?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
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3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
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– I started doubting them a long time ago.
Tweeted.
Much of what the ‘experts’ despise have had major influence on our culture. Cowboy movies, anyone? Any one of whole list of sci-fi movies?
We’re all free to read and write what we like. I don’t take any notice of genre shamers.
Oh, I notice them, but choose to either ignore them or try to kindly point out a differing opinion.
I wrote what I wanted and put it out there. If you don’t like my genre mashups, never mind. I’ll just keep searching for the right audience.
Richard, it’s not my own stories I worry about. It’s all my fellow writers.
As a teacher and a mom, I agree with the reading is reading. My kids don’t love reading like I did as a child. They adore graphic novels. I have learned to read those with them now and then. I think my husband learned to love reading through comics. It’s different for everybody. Nobody should have to hide their classic or their comic.
I wrote my high school senior paper on the origin stories of various superheroes. I kept a lot of comics I used for research for many years!
I think experts have pretty much dishonored themselves in recent times, repeatedly. So why listen to any of them? Some of them may be very bright in the narrow fields they’re trained in. That doesn’t mean they know anything about anything else.
I’m not sure that experts have dishonored themselves any more than they ever have; it’s just that there’s enough public information that we are more aware of their questionable pronouncements.
Whoa! You hit that one right on the head!