Comments on: The Curious Case of Determining Literary Merit https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&%23038;utm_campaign=the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Mon, 02 May 2005 15:01:54 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Jeannie https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-69725 Mon, 02 May 2005 15:01:54 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-69725 Funny you should mention flatulence and burping, since there was an article in our local newspaper yesterday about how these topics have become such hot sellers in the children’s market that they are now getting a genre name of “poop fiction”. Now THAT’S literature. How can we lowly females even hope to compete? Might as well just take our shoes off and get pregnant, I guess.

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By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-69701 Mon, 02 May 2005 13:21:30 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-69701 Looking forward to it, Booksquare!

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By: Booksquare https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-69577 Mon, 02 May 2005 04:12:27 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-69577 Lauren — will be contacting you. This week is crazy, but I’m sure I’m going to want to goof off in a constructive manner. Of course, anyone who wants to throw out ideas is welcome.

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By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-69037 Sun, 01 May 2005 11:16:06 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-69037 Suggested.

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By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-69036 Sun, 01 May 2005 11:15:05 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-69036 Actually, Booksquare, my dream would be more along the lines of what you siggested a few posts up: a review source for all women’s fiction (which means I’d want chick-lit in there too). As you can well imagine, I’ve got some pretty specific ideas. If you’re interested in back-and-forthing on this, feel free to email me through my website; or, if you’d prefer, we can brainstorm here in public, gathering feedback along the way.

And, Sarah, if you want chick-lit written with a British style of humor, you could always check out my first two books! 🙂

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By: Bron https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-68997 Sun, 01 May 2005 07:58:32 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-68997 Yes, we have to keep refusing to accept the judgement that fiction which is by women and which represents women’s interests and values can not be ‘literary’. And we have to highlight, in part through quality reviews, that within ‘women’s fiction’ (I hate that term!) there are works that are equal in skill, craft, originality, and importance to many works regarded highly by the literary establishment.

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By: Booksquare https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-68900 Sun, 01 May 2005 00:14:48 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-68900 Laughing, Sarah, laughing. Mostly because I can imagine the fan-girl outrage should that title be used. It’s almost worth the agony.

This is what happens when people try to avoid work on Saturdays (which used to be reserved for goofing off). It’s really odd that chicklit is a fairly mature genre (subgenre, style, not a clue any more) yet there isn’t a place to separate the wheat. I’m becoming so selective in my reading that I rely upon recommendations from people I trust. Which is a shame because if my TBR stack dwindles, then I’m not sure what will hold the house up.

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By: Sarah https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-68895 Sat, 30 Apr 2005 23:37:43 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-68895 You guys can even call it All About Chick Lit!

Seriously, I think that a critical site about chick lit books is extremely necessary, even if it prompts the kind of hysterical “debate” that AAR and Mrs. Giggles and the new blogs seem to prompt. But there must be intelligent discourse, else how to, as another commenter said, separate wheat from the chaff?

Although I’m primarily a crime fiction proponent I do like myself a good dose of well-done chick lit if I can. But AFAIK, I’ve only found a select few writers — mostly British — whom I think do the trick. So where would I go to get critical reviews so I can, potentially, expand my reading and make my TBR explode more than it already does? That’s the question.

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By: Booksquare https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-68882 Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:34:22 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-68882 Yeah, I knew I’d end up getting into trouble here! Let’s talk more — and maybe throw out the idea on the chicklit list? There are a couple of interesting models out there to follow.

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By: Lauren Baratz-Logsted https://booksquare.com/the-curious-case-of-determining-literary-merit/#comment-68874 Sat, 30 Apr 2005 21:54:32 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/04/29/1288/#comment-68874 Well, you know, My New Best Friend, we could always go at this jointly!

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