The National Endowment for the Arts has reported people are reading literature again after a twenty-five year decline. But nobody is sure why?
The NEA data is based on a survey (“The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts”) conducted in 2008 by the United States Census Bureau. Adults 18 and older who claim to have read at least one novel, short story, poem or play over the past year has risen.
Here's a chart we stole from the New York Times:
“There has been a measurable cultural change in society’s commitment to literary reading,” said Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “In a cultural moment when we are hearing nothing but bad news, we have reassuring evidence that the dumbing down of our culture is not inevitable.”
But he said he did not think that more reading online was the primary reason for the increase in literary reading rates overall.
So what is the reason? Hooksexup doesn't make you want to dust off that old copy of Madame Bovary you never read in college?
Instead he attributed the increase in literary reading to community-based programs like the “Big Read,” Oprah Winfrey’s book club, the huge popularity of book series like “Harry Potter” and Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight,” as well as the individual efforts of teachers, librarians, parents and civic leaders to create “a buzz around literature that’s getting people to read more in whatever medium.”
Then there's always the economy. Reading is cheap and provides an escape. Or maybe intellectualism is in this year.
Full story here.
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