My Unpopular Literary Opinions

I have a vast amount of fairly unpopular literary opinions. From books that I feel have been overhyped to classics that I think are just people trying to sound intelligent without having any real value. From clichés and boring genres that take on no other form whatsoever to writers who are really not as great as everyone thinks they are. Here are some of my most unpopular literary opinions made flesh. I hope that you enjoy them and that we can maybe have a balanced discussion about it. (Also, please don't hate me. These are just opinions and are in no way representative of anything factual at all).

My Unpopular Literary Opinions

10. Books that are overhyped are usually awful

Here is me ranting about the books that get the most hype on social media and advertising. What I have come to realise is that when a book is overhyped, it is normally to accomodate for the lack of skill, precision or storyline - or it is to build a brand. It is rare that these books will be anything fantastic especially in the social media age. I try my best to stay away from broad social trends of reading because of this. They almost never live up to their hype.

9. You shouldn't be allowed to review books you didn't finish

Well, you might as well review a book you haven't read if you're sitting there on GoodReads reviewing under "DNF after 30%". How am I supposed to know whether the book gets any better? It is a special skill to finish a book and be able to review it critically, saying what was good and bad throughout. If you're reviewing a book you didn't finish then I don't think anyone should take it into account at all. You're basically showcasing your lack of willpower and critical skill to the world.

8. The books of David Foster Wallace might be interesting, but gosh are they exasperating to read. (And, his writing is not nearly as intelligent as everyone thinks)

David Foster Wallace was a special kind of writer in the fact that his books are genuinely interesting stories, but the reading experience is a total let down the vast majority of the time. I know a lot of people who say that folks who find DFW boring are simply 'not getting it'. No, I spent an entire month analysing The Pale King and the writing was good, but nowhere near as intelligent as everyone made it out to be. The reading experience after a while becomes an exasperating chore and more than often I get to the end of the book not really having any clear feelings because of this. You simply cannot drown in them.

7. The James Bond books are a million times more interesting than the films (which are on the whole, not interesting in the slightest)

The James Bond franchise often gets forgotten when it comes to the literature. The films are on the whole, more attractive but far less exciting. The books are well-written convoluted spy thrillers and some get really quite dark and political. The films, I feel, go more for the low-brow action sequences and sort of abandon any real story there is to abandon. I will still watch a James Bond film, but it is nowhere near as exciting and well-formed as the literature.

6. AI stories may not be all that bad, especially when it comes to accessibility

Neurodivergent children often have difficulty with reading and more than often there are reading 'levels' which can make a child who is behind not only feel bad, but think that there is no point to aspire higher. This is why I propose that AI designed stories complete with comprehension questions are not all that bad. Without providing a 'level' and a 'label' for these children, we can ask them what they enjoy and design stories around that with little to no difficulty by typing in prompts. We can then test understanding (which may be more than we think since the story was generated upon interest) and make them progressively more difficult with vocabulary learning along the way. As someone who is a teacher and lecturer, this is a god-send idea for children who a) struggle with getting into texts and b) who are neurodivergent.

5. No matter how you read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, it is still an awful book

I have said this a few times. I've tried over and over again to read and re-read The Unbearable Lightness of Being as I thought I was in a bad mood when I read it the first time. I waited for myself to cheer up and then gave it another go. Turns out that the book is just plain awful whenever you read it. It may be an unpopular opinion but it is true. Sorry to Sir Daniel Day-Lewis (who is one of my all-time favourite actors) but the film was awful too. I honestly cannot believe anyone admits to enjoying that book.

4. Romance as a main plot is dull, boring and lazy. Romance as a sub-plot or plot device can be very interesting

Think about how many different storylines you can get out of the 'romance' main plot. From Romeo and Juliet down to every Nicholas Sparks novel ever - there are not many. Romance as a main plot ends up being dull, repetitive and more than often, really bloody boring. As a side-story however, it can work wonders for character development, revenge narratives and even fit in nicely to a horror novel or two. If I've said it once, I have said it a million times - there's no such thing as a good romance novel. It is a device - not a genre.

3. The post-21st century gothic is over-saturated with women writers made on Instagram. And most of them are no good at all

I thought that the return of the gothic was going to mean I got a ton of new stuff to read but instead we have a genre that has a few really interesting and good writers such as Julia Armfield, Lucie McKnight Hardy and Mariana Enriquez - and then we have these Instagram-made authors who are actually just awful writers who have a social media presence. I believe that publishers need to go back to focusing on the quality of the writing rather than who has more followers than who - this way we can weed out all the bad literature and read some real quality stuff.

2. Rupi Kaur ruined poetry for everyone

If there is any writer who has done more for the decline and fall of poetry it is Rupi Kaur. Over-saturated with fake profundity and a 7th grade vocabulary, Rupi Kaur has managed to make reading poetry a chore and an activity that is blindingly boring for a new up and coming generation. Another Instagram-made author who's entire claim to fame is that she has a word-bank under three digits, Rupi Kaur is basically the Satan of modern verse as she seeks to destroy the very essence of the art itself. Social media diseases shouldn't write poetry and that is me talking directly to Rupi Kaur.

1. Finnegans Wake is nowhere near as good and intelligent as everyone thinks it is

This may be more subjective but I tried reading Finnegans Wake when I was about 21 and honestly, it took me forever. I understand that there are people out there who love the book and to be fair, I enjoyed Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - I thought it was very clever. But who is god's name is reading Finnegans Wake and thinks it is an enjoyable reading experience? Especially as a first-time read. That book did nothing for me and makes me dread trying it again. I don't think it's very intelligent as it doesn't really have a great storyline and nor is it written in any interesting way. This is basically James Joyce begging someone to give him the Nobel Prize for Literature (and obviously he wouldn't get it because why would he?). Finnegans Wake is just a book-shaped headache, that's what it is.

Conclusion

Sorry if you don't agree with me but these are my opinions. Please don't go off on me in the comments and don't track me down on social media. I might come back with a part two, but as of now - I hope we can agree on at least some things.