Why The Interest in Literature Decline by Alok Mishra, Editor-in-Chief at Ashvamegh, Poet and Author

It is needless to repeat that people have lost their interest in literature - the art of words. It is, however, not a sudden decline that took place in a single night. Something like people slept and woke up bereaved of literary interest did not happen! The decline is gradual; the castle got its bricks down one by one. I will try to analyse the fall in this article.

The general notion conveys that before the industrial revolution, people had a great interest in literature. Go through the history and you will get the reflection of this belief. The question arises - what happened with the industrial revolution? What did it do with the literary sense of the society? Philosophers and Critics will present to you many logics proving industrialization to be a demon. My beliefs, however, are different. I do not blame any other thing except the literature itself! I will try to floor a series of arguments backing my idea.

Let us consider the dawn of industrial era first. A group of critics and literary figures deduces on the point that monetization of 'everything' brought a change in the mind-set of people. I agree. I completely agree with the argument. Nevertheless, do we ever consider the monetization of literature? When Economists gather to criticize the "utilitarian" approach of the society, the critics should look at the approach the writers had (and have). The summum bonum of literature is to contribute to the welfare of the society, not to beguile it. The writers started to provide sheer entertainment to the readers, and, unfortunately, except the exceptions, this coarse attitude of the authors still goes on. To my trivial thinking, this shameless commercialization of the literature is the cause of the decline in the interest of the people. And do not ask me when did it start; there is a long history.

The piles of pages that we see today in the bookshelves with lucrative covers, are not, to be sure, the pieces of literature. The writings that concern with making money by enticing the lowly senses of readers can never be literature, to be frank! I have been a student of literature. I got the chance to read some of the best classics. Moreover, I have been sensing what is going around in the current literary milieu. All these accumulated, I am sure that Longinus was right with his remarks that he made about the literature of early ADs.

The message is loud and clear. Make literature a medium of entertainment, people have better than that!


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