If you’re on BookTok, you may have heard the debate between readers who like a surface-level, digestible plot and those who prefer to dive into complex literary analysis no matter what they’re reading. If you haven’t heard the rumblings in the bookish community but are curious to find out more, keep reading—we’re getting into it.
What is the debate?
There has been much conversation on social media, particularly on BookTok, between trope-oriented readers who stick to their genre and those who find simplifying books down to their tropes to be reductionist and derivative. This debate touched a few nerves with casual readers who prefer to engage with books and their plots on the surface level and left some creators feeling like their style of reading had been diminished. On the other side, those who prefer to engage with everything they read on a deep, analytical level cried anti-intellectualism. Let’s get into both sides.
What is anti-intellectualism? And what does it look like? Anti-intellectualism is the distrust and hostility towards intellectuals and their works. This phenomenon is centuries old and has had devastating effects on humanity and its progression. This sentiment does not just apply to academics, but artists, philosophers, and anyone who engages in deep emotional or intellectual practice. It seems that taking things to a deeper level than the general masses has always intimidated people.
@mynameismarines a scattering of thoughts on anti-intellectualism because I’ve seen so many stitches! What do y’all think? #books #booktok ♬ original sound – Mari – booktok + media reviews
What are the sides?
So, where does the debate come from? Many BookTokers will create “If you like this you’ll love that” style videos where they’ll show a popular book and then recommend another, often less popular book with a similar genre and style. Another similar recommendation style utilizes trope or genre-specificity. If you’re on BookTok I’m sure you’ve seen something along the lines of “10 dark romances to read this fall,” or “My favorite books with morally grey love interests.” While there’s nothing wrong with suggesting books by grouping them together based on similar thematic elements or an overall vibe, it has sparked some heated conversation.
Avid literature analysts took to social media to express their discontent with this method, expressing that grouping books together based on one theme does not afford enough credit or attention to all the things that make each book unique. Many on this side of the conversation feel that the reduction of a book to its basic tropes is derivative, and criticize reading styles that present their opinions based on tropes alone.
@bookishwithb someone categorised Lolita as forbidden love and i knew the end of times was near #celinesbooks #fyp #booktok ♬ original sound – Celine
Personally, I think it’s great to read for fun and not think too hard. Reading is a beautiful escape from the real world and if that’s all it is for you, then that’s fine. But inevitably, you lose a lot by doing that. Do I think book talk should be gatekept by people who insist that reading for fun is less of a hobby than deep analysis and close reading? No. But do I think there is a place for a conversation about how the experience of reading is inherently deeper when you dive into it? Absolutely.
Which side wins?
If you read for fun and never think about the book again or take the plot points just for what they’re presented as and don’t care to dive into symbolism or tropes, that’s great. But I think a distinction needs to be made clear: these different approaches to reading are two different hobbies. One is reading the text, imagining scenes, and involving yourself emotionally in the characters’ worlds; the other takes those actions to a deeper level and gets down to the symbolism, context, themes, and intricate analysis of world-building and character development/interaction.
@liareadsawholelot As someone who would have never picked up a book three years ago, I think we just need to celebrate people reading📚✨ #booktok #booktokproblems #antiintellectualism #fyp #kindleunlimited #kindle #bookrecs #booktrope #troperecs ♬ original sound – ✨Lia Reads✨
Policing the way other people enjoy literature is a pointless and time-wasting effort, no doubt about it. However, I feel that reading for fun and not taking it too seriously and reading to analyze and deeply understand the text are two wildly different hobbies that can hardly be compared to one another. The latter is inherently academic and intellectual, while the former is casual and lighthearted. I don’t feel that the conversation about one being superior to the other is productive or will ever be fruitful as readers on opposite sides are engaging in entirely different hobbies.
There’s no right way to enjoy a book
At the end of the day, read what you want, how you want! Don’t let anyone tell you you’re doing it wrong, or that you should have goals that you’re not interested in. Reading should be fun, and unless your mind is open to a new style of engagement, there’s really no need to stress yourself over the conversation.
We can’t control how others engage with the media we love. And though it may be irksome if a creator you respect describes a book that you’re deeply attached to your analysis of in a way you find derivative, or irritating that someone is doing too much inspecting a book that you really don’t think is that deep, sometimes we’ve got to listen, disagree, and move on.
What do you think? Are you a casual, read-for-fun type of bookworm? Or do you prefer to get down to the nitty-gritty whether you’re reading a classic or a cheesy contemporary romance? Let us know on our socials!
Looking for more trope talk? Click here to check out the Bookstr team’s favorite and most hated tropes!
Click here to browse the Bookstr team’s featured recommendations!
