All Reading or Good Reading
22 Jun 2025Here I consider the question of whether all reading is good reading. There is a sharp divide between snobs, like myself, who think that the only books worth reading are the ones with some literary merit, and the populists, who think that anything that gets people off of YouTube is worth reading. I consider the merits of each side, and try to negotiate some sort of truce between the two camps. Praise, condemnation, questions, and comments can be sent, as always via email
As mentioned before in these pages, I am an elitist snob, especially when it comes to books. I generally do not think it is a good thing to only read Sarah J. Maas romantasy novels or Star Wars extended universe stories. I think there is much more to be gained by reading classics, or Man Booker winners (or nominees), or something the mainstream intellectual establishment has put its stamp of approval on.
Recently, however, I have come to believe there is good reason for me to soften my position. Reading, as a hobby, is in serious decline, and elitism seems more likely to push people away from reading than towards it. In the first section below, I present the case for elitism. Next, I present the case that all reading is good reading. Finally, I’ll make the case for a moderate elitism.
Elitism for All
There are some things that seem to be ultimately valuable, or ends in and of themselves, and other things which are merely pleasurable or only valuable as a means to an end. For example, eating a hundred chicken nuggets can certainly be a pleasurable activity, but it is not the sort of activity that could be an end in and of itself. Similarly, brushing your teeth is not valuable in and of itself, but as a means to an end (general bodily health).
Chasing pleasure might make you feel good, but pleasures are not the sorts of things that can, on their own, bring self-actualization. If this were the case, humans could achieve genuine happiness by masturbating and eating ice cream all day. Choosing such a life, however, is not a valid path to a good life. Aristotle, godfather of elitism, notes “Ordinary people, indeed, the most unrefined ones, suppose [the good] to be pleasure. And that is why the life they like is the life of indulgence…Ordinary people do seem wholly slavish, because the life they deliberately choose is one that is characteristic of grazing cattle” (1095b15).
That is not to say that the activities that are ultimately valuable are not pleasurable. The things which are of ultimate value will bring pleasure, but will also be in accordance with the highest forms of activity. Running a marathon, for example, will push one’s body to its limits. While there will be some amount of pain involved, there will also be a great amount of pleasure once one crosses the finish line.
Reading quality literature will not be as painful as running a marathon, but it should still be challenging. Part of the value of reading difficult, meaty books is that one must really think in order to make some kind of sense of the work. Real intellectual gains are made in the progress of working through a difficult text, one’s ability to analyze, interpret, and understand complex subject matter is expanded. Beyond capability gains, the sorts of ideas and themes that one can engage with in more difficult literature are naturally greater than in more simple literature.
If you are not someone who already makes an attempt at reading serious literature, then the value of snobbery is hard to communicate. Someone who doesn’t run won’t appreciate the value of a runner’s high. It is only by habituating oneself to higher pleasures that one can actually appreciate higher pleasures. This is, perhaps, why people are more likely to choose lower pleasures over higher pleasures in the absence of some outside motivating force. If I weren’t assigned Beloved in high school, I probably would have chosen to play video games instead. I would have found some pleasure in playing Counter-Strike, but I would not have gotten the same value as the experience of reading Toni Morrison.
The position, then, of the elitist camp is that the only things worth pursuing are the things that are of ultimate value, the things in which one is encouraged to utilize one’s full capabilities and which provide higher pleasures. Thus, the only books worth reading are challenging, serious works of literature.
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All Reading is Good Reading
We are in an age of extreme competition for our attention. Social media, streaming, and other electronic forms of entertainment have an uncanny ability to tap right into the pleasure centers of our brain while simultaneously turning off any critical thinking faculties we might otherwise employ. Large language models seem to be making things worse, further disincentivizing the use of critical faculties.
One of the problems with elitism is that it doesn’t recruit very well. If someone is used to getting instant gratification by scrolling through TikTok, they aren’t likely to give up that instant gratification for the delayed gratification of reading Ulysses. Instead of railing people for engaging in lower pleasures, we should be happy with any amount of engagement with literature that keeps people from rotting their minds in front of a screen.
Take something like the Harry Potter series. It was written with an audience of teens and tweens in mind, so the language is accordingly rather uncomplicated. The plot lines are relatively simple to follow, and there are clear heroes and villains. The books can be used for escapism, rather than forcing the reader to (perhaps uncomfortably) reflect on their own life and position. These books are not high literature by any stretch of the imagination. They are, however, entertaining and pleasurable to read, and will keep people from destructive habits like doomscrolling on social media.
If people never move on to more serious literature, then so be it. Whatever keeps people from letting their minds totally rot away should be lauded. So long as people are reading, there is still some amount of critical thinking happening, which is better than none. Some standards will, of course, still need to be set. Adults shouldn’t be praised for reading Dr. Seuss instead of watching meme compilations on YouTube, but they also shouldn’t be shamed for re-reading The Hunger Games.
All Reading is Good, to a Point
It is unreasonable to expect someone who is used to instant gratification to jump right into reading serious, challenging literature right away. It might be a challenge for someone used to 10-15 second TikTok videos to adjust their attention to being able to read for long stretches at a time. If this is the case, then it makes sense for someone to start with a story that is more focused on entertainment than literary rigor.
It is not, however, praiseworthy to read exclusively entertainment-focused novels written for a middle to high school reading level once one has become reacquainted with the habit of reading. Perhaps it is better than doomscrolling, but not by much. Part of the value of reading is taking on an intellectual challenge, engaging in serious thought and contemplation. Stagnating on books for teenagers is not conducive to serious thought and contemplation.
Exceptions can and should be made, of course. During finals this past semester I set aside more serious literature in favor of Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, a largely entertainment-focused novel about the building of a cathedral in medieval England. I wasn’t particularly challenged by it, but I was doing a lot of mental labor in writing my final papers and it was nice to read something fun. Once finals were over, though, I switched right back to more experimental, avant-garde literature. Not because I feel an external sense of duty to challenge myself, but because I’ve reached the point where the value of challenging myself through literature has been internalized.
The value of difficult, challenging activities is not evident a priori. To someone who hasn’t ever been in great athletic shape, the workout habits of athletes won’t make a lot of sense. In the same way, to someone who hasn’t ever challenged themselves intellectually, the value of challenging literature is difficult to see. Taking intermediate steps, working one’s way up from not reading, to reading YA fiction, to reading serious literature is the most natural way to build one’s sense for the value of intellectually challenging reading.
So, reading simple, unchallenging fiction can be good, but only as a means to an end. Additionally, exceptions can and should be made when one needs to accommodate for mental energy being expended elsewhere. Outside of exceptional circumstances, however, the best use of mental energy is on the sorts of books that will challenge and enrich one’s mental life.
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