--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In ages past, there was less of a…" description: "\"In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good literature and fun reads. In the twentieth century, I think, it split apart, so that you had s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/ruth-glick-21980_ages_in-ages-past-there-was-less-of-a-dichoto_1979038.jpg" --- # In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good… ![“In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good literature and fun reads. In the twentieth century, I think, it split apart, so that you had serious fiction and genre fiction.” quote by Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/ruth-glick-21980_ages_in-ages-past-there-was-less-of-a-dichoto_1979038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/ruth-glick-21980_ages_in-ages-past-there-was-less-of-a-dichoto_1979038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/ruth-glick-21980_ages_in-ages-past-there-was-less-of-a-dichoto_1979038.jpg) > “In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good literature and fun reads. In the twentieth century, I think, it split apart, so that you had serious fiction and genre fiction.” [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Earlier literature blended depth and enjoyment, but modern reading often separates serious and genre fiction. **In simple terms:** Good and fun books used to mix. Key Takeaway Explore both literary and genre works. Themes literature genre history Mood reflective nostalgic Type literary analytical When to use this quote - libraries - book clubs - personal reading lists Key Concepts cultural shift reading habits Questions to Reflect On - Why separate “serious” and “fun” books? - How to balance both in reading? A Different Perspective Genre bias can limit exposure to diverse ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ages/) [Apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart/) [Between](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/between/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Dichotomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dichotomy/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-genre-1167469/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Genre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre/) [Genre Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genre-fiction-412883/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/less/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Reads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reads/) [Reads Twentieth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reads-twentieth-3369058/) [Serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serious/) [Split](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/split/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Twentieth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twentieth/) [Twentieth century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twentieth-century/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [There is only one genre in fiction, the genre is called book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/there-is-only-one-genre-in-fiction-the-genre-is-called-book/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Singling out “women’s fiction” for genre derision never fails to piss me off. Somehow worse when women do it. Case in pt: Editor says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/singling-out-women-s-fiction-for-genre-derision-never-fails-to-piss/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [The distinction between literary and genre fiction is stupid and pernicious. It dates back to a feud between Robert Louis Stevenson and Henry James.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/the-distinction-between-literary-and-genre-fiction-is-stupid-and/) [George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [The crime fiction genre offers the writer infinite diversity of theme and treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-ellin/the-crime-fiction-genre-offers-the-writer-infinite-diversity-of-theme/) [Stanley Ellin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-ellin/) > [Crime fiction is a genre for writing stories about people - about conflict, about guilt, about passion, about the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/crime-fiction-is-a-genre-for-writing-stories-about-people-about/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [Everybody always talks about the science fiction genre, in particular, which always makes me think about people in spaceships. I can appreciate that, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/everybody-always-talks-about-the-science-fiction-genre-in-particular/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [Most of my influences from outside the commerical strange fiction genre came in with university, discovering James Joyce and Wallace Stevens, Blake and Yeats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/most-of-my-influences-from-outside-the-commerical-strange-fiction/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [It cannot be said often enough that science fiction as a genre is incredibly educational - and I'm speaking the written science fiction, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-cannot-be-said-often-enough-that-science-fiction-as-a-genre-is/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I love the science-fiction genre because there's always so many endless possibilities! It's a limitless genre and can be fun playing around with otherworldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mennell/i-love-the-science-fiction-genre-because-there-s-always-so-many/) [Laura Mennell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mennell/) > [Science fiction is a genre that no everyone is keen on watching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-saldana/science-fiction-is-a-genre-that-no-everyone-is-keen-on-watching/) [Zoe Saldana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-saldana/) > [“Science fiction, as a genre is fundamentally about ideas. It's about asking an impossible question, "What if...?" and building a story out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-robinson/science-fiction-as-a-genre-is-fundamentally-about-ideas-it-s-about/) [Dave Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-robinson/) > [To me, fantasy has always been the genre of escape, science fiction the genre of ideas. So if you can escape and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-s-tepper/to-me-fantasy-has-always-been-the-genre-of-escape-science-fiction-the/) [Sheri S. Tepper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-s-tepper/) > [Science fiction is the only genre that enables African writers to envision a future from our African perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/science-fiction-is-the-only-genre-that-enables-african-writers-to/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [“Cat Rambo: Where do you think the perennial debate between what is literary fiction and what is genre is sited? Norman Spinrad: I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/cat-rambo-where-do-you-think-the-perennial-debate-between-what-is/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [I'm now much more excited about genre distinctions. What I still see breaking down are more the hierarchical arrangements of genres. That is, "There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-m-now-much-more-excited-about-genre-distinctions-what-i-still-see/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## More by Ruth Glick > [I love to feed people, and I like to cook food they want to eat and food that will be good for them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/i-love-to-feed-people-and-i-like-to-cook-food-they-want-to-eat-and/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Nowhere Man embodies one of my favorite themes - the hero completely out of his element. Its really near and dear to my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/nowhere-man-embodies-one-of-my-favorite-themes-the-hero-completely/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Not surprisingly, the chief way self-published authors get the word out about their books is through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/not-surprisingly-the-chief-way-self-published-authors-get-the-word/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [I often think of setting as an important character in my story. 'Dark Powers' takes place in Doncaster, a Maryland Eastern Shore community rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/i-often-think-of-setting-as-an-important-character-in-my-story-dark/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Unfortunately for me, most of the books I'd want to reprint were written for savvy publishers like Harlequin and Berkley who have held on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/unfortunately-for-me-most-of-the-books-i-d-want-to-reprint-were/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Nobodys life is as romantic as it is in fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/nobodys-life-is-as-romantic-as-it-is-in-fiction/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [After my husband spell-checks one of my manuscripts, my editor says, 'It's been Normanized.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/after-my-husband-spell-checks-one-of-my-manuscripts-my-editor-says-it/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [People will say, 'I really don't like romance,' or, 'I don't read it - at all!' So how do they know? Weirdly, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/people-will-say-i-really-don-t-like-romance-or-i-don-t-read-it-at-all/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Of course, to publish something, you have to write it, polish it, then hire out the line editing, copy editing and cover design. After…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/of-course-to-publish-something-you-have-to-write-it-polish-it-then/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > ['Betrayed' starts off with Shane Gallagher rescuing Elena Reyes and a group of hostages from a madman with a gun. And as the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/betrayed-starts-off-with-shane-gallagher-rescuing-elena-reyes-and-a/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Is it better to go indie and make bigger profits on each book, or stick with a print publisher's 6%-10% royalties? Since I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/is-it-better-to-go-indie-and-make-bigger-profits-on-each-book-or/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [Nobody's life is as romantic as it is in fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/nobody-s-life-is-as-romantic-as-it-is-in-fiction/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [The hero of 'Dark Powers' can touch murder victims and read their last memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/the-hero-of-dark-powers-can-touch-murder-victims-and-read-their-last/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [I do a lot of recipe creation. Translation: cooking tempting dishes that must be eaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/i-do-a-lot-of-recipe-creation-translation-cooking-tempting-dishes/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [The reason I write romance is that I like happy endings. The idea, you know, 'It's not literature unless is ends badly,' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/the-reason-i-write-romance-is-that-i-like-happy-endings-the-idea-you/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) [Explore all 28 Ruth Glick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) ## More Ages quotes > [The body is at its best between the ages of thirty and thirty-five; the mind is at its best about the age of forty-nine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-body-is-at-its-best-between-the-ages-of-thirty-and-thirty-five/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [People do stop me a lot, and what is really very rewarding is that the ages of the people who stop me vary so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mcewan/people-do-stop-me-a-lot-and-what-is-really-very-rewarding-is-that-the/) [Geraldine McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mcewan/) > [I have a very low tolerance for boredom and often think I would have missed out on books entirely if Id grown up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-have-a-very-low-tolerance-for-boredom-and-often-think-i-would-have/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [It is pain that ages us, not years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-prudden/it-is-pain-that-ages-us-not-years/) [Bonnie Prudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-prudden/) > [We owe America something because they turned us into a touring band. But at least we feel confident about appearing in Britain again now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-marriott/we-owe-america-something-because-they-turned-us-into-a-touring-band/) [Steve Marriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-marriott/) > [It's amazing when I do a gig how many people of different ages come up to me afterwards and chat to me about songs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-henderson/it-s-amazing-when-i-do-a-gig-how-many-people-of-different-ages-come/) [Ella Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-henderson/) > [There were three terrible ages of childhood - zero to 10, 10 to 20, and 20 to 30.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/there-were-three-terrible-ages-of-childhood-zero-to-10-10-to-20-and/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [Nothing ages like laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/nothing-ages-like-laziness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Music has no limits, borders or ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia/music-has-no-limits-borders-or-ages/) [Thalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia/) > [Ripen your mind to the glorious history of the ages and revel in your mastery as today's youth shall look upon you as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/ripen-your-mind-to-the-glorious-history-of-the-ages-and-revel-in-your/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [I think that as I had children, I have five sons, and they got into video games and were the prime ages through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/i-think-that-as-i-had-children-i-have-five-sons-and-they-got-into/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Get off the stages, this is my show, my performance, for the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-b/get-off-the-stages-this-is-my-show-my-performance-for-the-ages/) [Lil B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-b/) > [Chemotherapy is just medieval. It's such a blunt instrument. We're going to look back on it like we do the dark ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-topol/chemotherapy-is-just-medieval-it-s-such-a-blunt-instrument-we-re/) [Eric Topol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-topol/) > [The seven ages of man: spills, drills, thrills, bills, ills, pills and wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-needham/the-seven-ages-of-man-spills-drills-thrills-bills-ills-pills-and-wills/) [Richard J. Needham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-needham/) > [A nation may be born in a day, but the great truths which make for the glory and uplift of the race only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/a-nation-may-be-born-in-a-day-but-the-great-truths-which-make-for-the/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 263 Ages quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ages/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In ages past, there was less of a dichotomy between good literature and fun reads. 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