--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do feel that literature should be…" description: "\"“I do feel that literature should be demystified. What I object to is what is happening in our era: literature is only something you get at school as a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/t-c-boyle-8108_books_i-do-feel-that-literature-should-be-demy_1573652.png" --- # I do feel that literature should be demystified. What I… ![“I do feel that literature should be demystified. What I object to is what is happening in our era: literature is only something you get at school as an assignment. No one reads for fun, or to be subversive or to get turned on to something. It's just like doing math at school. I mean, how often do…” quote by T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/t-c-boyle-8108_books_i-do-feel-that-literature-should-be-demy_1573652.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/t-c-boyle-8108_books_i-do-feel-that-literature-should-be-demy_1573652.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d73/t-c-boyle-8108_books_i-do-feel-that-literature-should-be-demy_1573652.png) > ““I do feel that literature should be demystified. What I object to is what is happening in our era: literature is only something you get at school as an assignment. No one reads for fun, or to be subversive or to get turned on to something. It's just like doing math at school. I mean, how often do we sit down and do trigonometry for fun, to relax. I've thought about this, the domination of the literary arts by theory over the past 25 years -- which I detest -- and it's as if you have to be a critic to mediate between the author and the reader and that's utter crap. Literature can be great in all ways, but it's just entertainment like rock'n'roll or a film. It is entertainment. If it doesn't capture you on that level, as entertainment, movement of plot, then it doesn't work. Nothing else will come out of it. The beauty of the language, the characterisation, the structure, all that's irrelevant if you're not getting the reader on that level -- moving a story. If that's friendly to readers, I cop to it.”” [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues literature should be accessible and entertaining, not just academic theory, urging readers to enjoy stories for their emotional impact. **In simple terms:** Literature is entertainment that should engage readers. Key Takeaway Read for pleasure, not just analysis. Themes literature accessibility entertainment Mood conversational critical Type literary cultural When to use this quote - book clubs - education reform - creative writing workshops - media criticism Key Concepts reader engagement storytelling cultural criticism Questions to Reflect On - What story has moved you most? - How can literature stay both artistic and enjoyable? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on theory can alienate casual readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Creative process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative-process/) [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [To feel that literature has any politically redemptive power at all just seems increasingly naive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/to-feel-that-literature-has-any-politically-redemptive-power-at-all/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [It is now only in letters I write what I feel: not in literature any more, and I seldom say it, because I keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-now-only-in-letters-i-write-what-i-feel-not-in-literature-any/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Poetry is the most subtle of the literary arts, and students grow more ingenious by the year at avoiding it. If they can nip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/poetry-is-the-most-subtle-of-the-literary-arts-and-students-grow-more/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [I have written a lot about the fine arts, but I'd never written about the literary arts, and so on some level Dante really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-have-written-a-lot-about-the-fine-arts-but-i-d-never-written-about/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [“For whatever the era, nationality, gender and genre; whether realistic, traditional, fabulist, historical, fantasist, minimalist, crossover, the writer worthy of the literary arts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregorio-c-brillantes/for-whatever-the-era-nationality-gender-and-genre-whether-realistic/) Gregorio C. Brillantes > [The visual and literary arts are of perennial interest to me, and these art forms have become more and more a part of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hersch/the-visual-and-literary-arts-are-of-perennial-interest-to-me-and/) [Michael Hersch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hersch/) > [No one bothered reading the books and understanding - and again, I'm not being high-falutin' about it - but I think our books are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-arad/no-one-bothered-reading-the-books-and-understanding-and-again-i-m-not/) [Avi Arad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-arad/) > [Reading is the gateway to so many things that helps makes it possible for seven billion people to live together on one planet. Literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-griffith/reading-is-the-gateway-to-so-many-things-that-helps-makes-it-possible/) [Nicola Griffith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-griffith/) > [“Real literature, great literature, moves people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevien-shaabneh/real-literature-great-literature-moves-people/) [Nevien Shaabneh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevien-shaabneh/) > [I haven't the stature to critique one of our literature's great novels, Tobias; and I'm not one of those who believe The Adventures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-haven-t-the-stature-to-critique-one-of-our-literature-s-great/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [Were I more conversant with literature and its great names, I could go on quoting them ad infinitum and acknowledge my debt for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/were-i-more-conversant-with-literature-and-its-great-names-i-could-go/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [Literature has done great work for feminism - writing and reading are a practice of empathy - and great literature will continue to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/literature-has-done-great-work-for-feminism-writing-and-reading-are-a/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [I love and care about literature, and great writers are our teachers. You're studying their mind when you read their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/i-love-and-care-about-literature-and-great-writers-are-our-teachers/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [A people's literature is the great textbook for real knowledge of them. The writings of the day show the quality of the people as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/a-people-s-literature-is-the-great-textbook-for-real-knowledge-of/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [A great age of literature is perhaps always a great age of translations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/a-great-age-of-literature-is-perhaps-always-a-great-age-of/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) ## More by T.C. Boyle > [Everything we do is escapism, because we'll all be dead and everything we do is completely meaningless. Why brush your teeth? Why not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/everything-we-do-is-escapism-because-we-ll-all-be-dead-and-everything/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [ The hardest thing in a novel is time. You've got \[a line like\] "two weeks later, he woke up with a headache," and you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-hardest-thing-in-a-novel-is-time-you-ve-got-a-line-like-two-weeks/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Writing is a channeling of an individual experience; so is reading. That's what's so exciting about this art form - it's interactive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/writing-is-a-channeling-of-an-individual-experience-so-is-reading/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I'm pretty hardcore. I stick exactly to what I'm doing. So I write a novel in one period, and then I'll write stories in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-m-pretty-hardcore-i-stick-exactly-to-what-i-m-doing-so-i-write-a/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Work saved me. Literature saved me. It sounds corny but it's absolutely true. I was going in the wrong direction, but after the 9,000th…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/work-saved-me-literature-saved-me-it-sounds-corny-but-it-s-absolutely/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [There are always surprises. Life may be inveterately grim and the surprises disproportionately unpleasant, but it would be hardly worth living if there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/there-are-always-surprises-life-may-be-inveterately-grim-and-the/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Besides, to like something, to really like it and come out and say so, is taking a terrible risk. I mean, what if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/besides-to-like-something-to-really-like-it-and-come-out-and-say-so/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“I am concerned with social and environmental issues. What rational person is not? But advocacy and art do not mix. Art is a seduction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-am-concerned-with-social-and-environmental-issues-what-rational/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [Pleasure, I remind myself, is inseparable from its lawfully wedded mate, pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/pleasure-i-remind-myself-is-inseparable-from-its-lawfully-wedded-mate/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A glad zest and hopefulness might be inspired even in the most jaded and ennui-cursed, were there in our homes such simple, truthful natures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-glad-zest-and-hopefulness-might-be-inspired-even-in-the-most-jaded/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [What I'm doing is exploring things. This is why I'm a fiction writer rather than an essayist or a politician or whatever. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/what-i-m-doing-is-exploring-things-this-is-why-i-m-a-fiction-writer/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [“Who was she in high school? Little Miss Nobody. She could have embroidered it on her sweaters, tattooed it across her forehead. And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/who-was-she-in-high-school-little-miss-nobody-she-could-have/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [The professorial dictum has always been to write what you know, but I say write what you don't know and find something out. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/the-professorial-dictum-has-always-been-to-write-what-you-know-but-i/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [A richly detailed, poignant, and utterly fascinating look into another culture and how it is cross-pollinated by our own. It brings to mind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/a-richly-detailed-poignant-and-utterly-fascinating-look-into-another/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) > [I always listen to music while I'm working and I always read aloud to my wife. I love to read aloud to an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-c-boyle/i-always-listen-to-music-while-i-m-working-and-i-always-read-aloud-to/) [T.C. Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) [Explore all 83 T.C. Boyle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-c-boyle/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I do feel that literature should be demystified. What I object to is what is happening in our era: literature is only something you get at school as an assignment. No one reads for fun, or to be subversive or to get turned on to something. It's just like doing math at school. I mean, how often do we sit down and do trigonometry for fun, to relax. I've thought about this, the domination of the literary arts by theory over the past 25 years -- which I detest -- and it's as if you have to be a critic to mediate between the author and the reader and that's utter crap. Literature can be great in all ways, but it's just entertainment like rock'n'roll or a film. It is entertainment. If it doesn't capture you on that level, as entertainment, movement of plot, then it doesn't work. Nothing else will come out of it. The beauty of the language, the characterisation, the structure, all that's irrelevant if you're not getting the reader on that level -- moving a story. If that's friendly to readers, I cop to it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T.C. 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