Thursday, June 09, 2016

Hmm …

Does Literary Criticism Have a Grade Inflation Problem? | New Republic. (Hat tip, Dan Bloom.)
Why are book reviews so damn nice? Many argue that America has few professional critics left, which means that most of the criticism is being done by freelancers who lack institutional protection and therefore are disincentivized from making sharp critiques. Freelancers are more likely to be drawn to books that they like because, unlike a professional reviewer, they have no obligation to review a hot new novel. They may also want to publish books themselves, so they’re loath to piss off potential publishers.
I hadn't heard about book reviews being so nice. Is this nice: Slogging through best-sellerdom Cormac McCarthy's bummer of a winner.

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