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Luke_Orlando t1_ixqa2u4 wrote

Reply to comment by mustyHead in I love The Catcher in the Rye by zak_zman

Coworker of mine hates this book and for a similar reason. She has a doctorate so I assumed she had like, valid reasons to criticise the books she read but no. It's a lot of "that character is a whiny teen" and "oh it was boring" <-- her withering critique of The Great Gatsby. 😒

Like, how is that a critical read of the book? Really sad. The most surface level reader I've come across in a while.

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moonboundshibe t1_ixqv80q wrote

Someone being educated doesn’t mean they’re obliged to perform critical analysis on demand.

And Great Gatsby is boring.

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Luke_Orlando t1_ixqyr51 wrote

Taste isn't the issue.

People like what they like. That's their business, but to sit there and call a book objectively bad just because you have the critical reading skills of a capybara is really ignorant.

That's what bothers me. They read a classic that is beloved and critically acclaimed by millions, and they go "I don't like it, which means it's bad."

Edit: they edited their comment to seem less off-topic so my response doesn't make sense now. Whatever, leaving it lol.

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moonboundshibe t1_ixxjch5 wrote

So one can only have a valid opinion if they have a degree of reading skills that meets your expectations?

This onion’s got layers!

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Luke_Orlando t1_ixypoqo wrote

Did you even read what I said?

Subjective liking and disliking of literature is not the issue at hand here. Everyone is entitled to like or dislike things for whatever reason they want.

I don't like Maroon 5 because I think Adam Levine sounds like a cat in heat. That's not an objective criticism. They might be a well-receieved band with lots of fans but I just don't like it. I cannot sit there and say that Maroon5 is GOOD or BAD based on my personal LIKES and DISLIKES.

This person does not understand the difference. They seem to believe that their subjective experience while reading a book is the best determining factor of a book's objective merit.

Therefore her worldview is "if I don't like it, it must be bad."

That is a stupid view that leaves no room for objective interpretation.

Please read my comments before responding.

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