On Fri, 21 Nov 1997, Bonnie Gray wrote:
> This is something that has always puzzled me... why "popular"
> literary forms are not considered worthy of study by some
> academics. It seems that science fiction, mystery, etc. could
> be interesting to study partly because they are "popular" forms,
> and can say a lot about current culture.
>
> Of course, I'm a scientist who hasn't been in an English class
> for over five years :) Anybody who knows about these things: what
> do you think?
>
> Bonnie
>
Why, because they're popular, of course, and therefore mediocre, pretty
much by definition. If you're a snooty academic you aren't going to
demean yourself by devoting your time to things that just anyone might
enjoy. You're much more likely to spend time on post-structuralist,
deconstructive hermenutics, a topic only the elite can comprehend.
Fortunately not all academics are snooty. Witness those on this list.
Mike Levy (who gets grouchy when his colleagues tease him about teaching
children's literature as well)
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