The average writer will have read hundreds if not thousands of books before they write their first one.
You picked some very specific authors then pointed at readers. Either you missed the point of the argument or are trying to create a straw man (or just don't understand how analogies work).
Writers would have fit better, but there are “pro” and casual readers too.
The argument is that most developers don't read code, as opposed to writers. My point is that serious professionals try to expose themselves to the best there is, even if it's damn hard stuff.
Anecdote from NZ, all the English majors I know have read several if not all of the above authors (including one who read Ulysses 13 times after he left university). In fact I would be surprised if you could get that degree without doing so.
I read a lot and I often read the author blurbs, my second anecdote is that it seems a large number of writers studied English/Literature. In addition authors often drop hints to having read the above, listing works as recommendations or influences, or dropping qoutes or allusions.
Still I'm sure there are plenty who haven't read those authors, but perhaps they have read Shakespeare, Melville, Tolstoy etc.
Today maybe not. But back before the internets, writers sure had read most of those. Except if you mean pulp writers -- there I can't tell.
Still, I follow the literary world in 2-3 countries quite closely, and all those are old staples. Your average writer with literary aspirations have read all or most of them and tons of others. There was no published poet a few decades ago that hadn't read Elliot and Pound.
Heck, even university students in most fields had read those authors back in the day. It was just something you did. Even rock musicians. You can find references to Elliot for example in the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and lots of other bands.
In essence, reading other writers (and a lot of times, criticizing them, often in literary magazines) is what writers did/do.
Comments
Yes, what about them? Who studies WebKit? Or the Kernel for that matter? A minority? Because that's perfectly in line with "not so much".
Who reads Joyce, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Faulkner?
Your average reader will find them inscrutable.
That's just how it is. Some works are simple, elegant and great. Others are hard, deep and also great. It has nothing to do with literature or code.
The average writer will have read hundreds if not thousands of books before they write their first one.
You picked some very specific authors then pointed at readers. Either you missed the point of the argument or are trying to create a straw man (or just don't understand how analogies work).
>Who reads Joyce, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Faulkner? Your average reader will find them inscrutable.
He was talking about writers though -- not average readers. And your average writer has certainly read Joyce, Pound, Eliot and Faulkner.
The argument was writers vs developers (not average readers vs average users).
Writers would have fit better, but there are “pro” and casual readers too.
The argument is that most developers don't read code, as opposed to writers. My point is that serious professionals try to expose themselves to the best there is, even if it's damn hard stuff.
> And your average writer has certainly read Joyce, Pound, Eliot and Faulkner.
I seriously doubt it. I even doubt that your average lit major has read them.
Anecdote from NZ, all the English majors I know have read several if not all of the above authors (including one who read Ulysses 13 times after he left university). In fact I would be surprised if you could get that degree without doing so.
I read a lot and I often read the author blurbs, my second anecdote is that it seems a large number of writers studied English/Literature. In addition authors often drop hints to having read the above, listing works as recommendations or influences, or dropping qoutes or allusions.
Still I'm sure there are plenty who haven't read those authors, but perhaps they have read Shakespeare, Melville, Tolstoy etc.
Today maybe not. But back before the internets, writers sure had read most of those. Except if you mean pulp writers -- there I can't tell.
Still, I follow the literary world in 2-3 countries quite closely, and all those are old staples. Your average writer with literary aspirations have read all or most of them and tons of others. There was no published poet a few decades ago that hadn't read Elliot and Pound.
Heck, even university students in most fields had read those authors back in the day. It was just something you did. Even rock musicians. You can find references to Elliot for example in the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and lots of other bands.
In essence, reading other writers (and a lot of times, criticizing them, often in literary magazines) is what writers did/do.