Books Quote by Michael Dirda
“Reading books might itself be a bit weird, but obviously okay, since books were part of school, and doing well in school was clearly a good thing. But comics were more like candy, just flashy wrappers without any nourishment. Cheap thrills.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: Book Review, 2010
Reading books is seen as scholarly, while comics are dismissed as superficial entertainment.
In simple terms: Books = serious; comics = cheap fun.
Key Takeaway
Challenge the hierarchy between literature and graphic media.
Themes
literature
media
hierarchy
education
culture
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
critical
Type
comparative
educational
When to use this quote
- teaching
- library curation
- personal reading habits
- media criticism
Key Concepts
cognitive value
visual storytelling
genre bias
Questions to Reflect On
- Can comics convey complex ideas?
- How does medium affect perceived seriousness?
A Different Perspective
Dismissal of comics overlooks their artistic and narrative depth.
![“Nearly all the writing of our time is likely to disappear in a hundred years. Certainly most readers - and nearly all critics - feel that [Kurt] Vonnegut started to repeat himself, to grow increasingly self-indulgent and meandering, and to sometimes just blather in his later work. But his books up…” quote by Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed7/michael-dirda-3414_1960s_nearly-all-the-writing-of-our-time-is-li_13506.jpg)
