tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post5687501957648451526..comments2024-03-26T06:17:49.527-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: Free Trade in IdeasStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-91930758277460729142009-09-24T13:55:14.944-07:002009-09-24T13:55:14.944-07:00Wow this is strange...you would think, given your ...Wow this is strange...you would think, given your constant disparagement of people who "live their lives as if it were a story," you would be applauding the collapse of English Departments. You would think you would be ecstatic that young kids are not interested in "introspecting" over literature, but demanding practical answers to their lives. Isn't the flight away from English somewhat like the flight from "therapy culture" (as you constantly describe it), towards something more eminently practical, like Coaching? This is truly a contradiction. I wonder how you would explain it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-49765205149999372012009-09-24T10:53:27.264-07:002009-09-24T10:53:27.264-07:00I wonder if the publishing industry also plays a r...I wonder if the publishing industry also plays a role in the hard times that have hit English literature--particularly contemporary English literature. They're just not publishing "literary" novels the way they used to. They increasingly follow the Hollywood model of putting all their money behind what they hope will be the big blockbuster best-seller, at the expense of new novelists and novelists who write great fiction but fiction that only appeals to a "narrow" (by the publishing industry's standards) audience. I realize the publishers are driven by what sells, but at the same time, it seems like they've relinquished their duty to publish great contemporary literature--even if it appeals to a narrow audience--in order to make a buck.Meridithnoreply@blogger.com