The Dummificaition of Kid Lit Isn't All That Dumb
^^ That’s obviously my opinion on the topic, but here (in this video) I was talking about whether or not adults should be reading YA. But I want to apply this thinking to another topic entirely. Should children be allowed to read children’s books that are… easy to read?
This is an interesting topic because I don’t know that we really know what to call it. It’s the use of a modern, easy, simple style of language in fiction as a way of characterizing the narrator and making the book relatable to the audience. This article in The New Yorker does a good job of explaining the whole debacle from the anit-easy-to-read literature point of view. It’s a well written article and if you’re interested in this debate you should check it out.
The main worry expressed here is actually exactly the same as the worry expressed by adults telling other adults not to read YA literature. It’s this idea that if people are reading books that are easy to read, that use a voice similar to the one they use in their daily life, that this will be harmful to their reading intelligence. Perhaps these critiques really mean their intelligence over all, they just don’t want to come out and say people who read Twilight or Percy Jackson are dimmer than those who read adult fiction.
Let me explain something about Linguistic Anthropology. Language is a tool developed for communication. It is not something only the elite know how to use ‘properly’, and it is not something that stays static over time, even short periods of time. While one group may deem the language of another as inferior, by the definition of what language is, that is not possible. One does not need a copious selection of superfluous morphemes to communicate in an unobjectionable way. You don’t have to use big words to get your point across. If the true objective of literature is to communicate with the audience, then couldn’t we also say that literature that communicates emotion and connection to the audience with fewer and less complex words is actually more successful than others whose selections are more complex? Who decides what literature is deemed worthy? What gives them credence to say so? A diploma? A library worth of scholarly works under their belt? If this were academic writing we were reviewing, I would say yes, but this is fiction. Fiction is meant for everyone, anyone. And that is precisely who’s option we should be valuing about it; everyone and anyone who takes interest.
Perhaps you are unaware, Shakespeare made his living off the middle and lower class for a good portion of his life. He was criticized for his crass humor by some— his use of penis jokes, people. Check out this article about it, if you don’t believe me. He used this kind of humor to appeal to the masses. That’s you and me, and everyone else who thinks penis jokes are funny, still to this day.
Also, if the purpose of fiction is to entertain, isn’t that really all it needs to do? Yes, many would agree that in order to be entertaining, a piece of fiction should be engaging, thought provoking, and moving. But at the end of the day, if you enjoyed reading it, if your children enjoyed reading it, then it completed its task as fiction.
That being said, I’m all for education. I think young people should be forced to read things they don’t want to read. There I said it. But not necessarily by their parents, and not every single thing they read. But it’s good to expose kids to more advanced or difficult-to-read forms of writing. Why? Because if they’re going into a field that involves literature, they may need to be able to write and read in that way, and they certainly will if they’re going to college. But again, I stress my earlier point, if the reading is for leisure, it should be whatever you [the reader] wants to read.
To wrap all this up, let me suggest to you a belief of mine that I will literally spout at any opportunity. If you want your kids to be exposed to more advanced literature at a young age, read it to them. Read them things like The Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Secret Garden before they’re able to read those books themselves. Just because they can’t read it doesn’t mean they don’t understand it, and if they don’t get what’s going on, guess what, that’s what you’re there for. Read them things that are above their reading level so that they can get excited about it. Give them something to work their way up to. They’re kids. As soon as they’re able to do it on their own, they will. Read to your kids.
And don’t stop them from reading what they love.
