This was a very interesting article because when I think of reading, I think any and all genres. I didn’t know that there was a separation between reading literary genres and non-literary genres. I don’t agree with Bauerlein’s idea that online discourse is everything but informational. I read a lot digitally, whether that be blogs, funny tweets, or youtube comments. And I find a lot of them deeply engaging and educational. An instagram page I follow and keep up with, The Artidote, is one of the best examples of digital reading work my thinking skills. This page uses art to help people heal from depression and other mental health issues. It allows people to connect with others and I relate to their posts a lot. Here is an example of one:
I think it’s pretty inspirational. Bauerlein’s perception of digital reading is very narrow—I know for a fact that some Facebook posts are extremely engaging.
One thing that I did notice is that everyone thinks English majors only read the classics—the kind of books that are always assigned in high school english classes. And that idea also extends to everyone else, because when they read, it’s only the popular stuff, like Haruki Murakami, Amy Tan, Frank Herbert, or Sophie Kinsella. English majors are always in the corner reading Toni Morrison or Agatha Christie. I find this stereotype so funny, because it’s like we can’t read anything but famous literature. I like Murakami too!
The thing that English majors have a lot of experience doing is close reading. I don’t think my reading level is where it could be it, but I get by. Close reading is great and all, but it takes much longer to get through a book. Regular reading is just more interesting to some. Some people just want to read to experience a story, to be immersed in a new world, and maybe that’s where “reading for fun” came from. Many people read romance novels for fun and others read mysteries. All in all, “reading for fun” just says that the books that we are assigned in school aren’t “fun.” We go through them just so we can say we read them and then we’re done with them. Close reading is fun if a book is immensely interesting, but it’s terrible if you hate the book. And with the books that we were required to read, many of them probably weren’t our favorite books ever. Often, close reading can feel like a chore because we sit with the material for so long and we take notes of every little thing a character says or does. It can be not enjoyable because the text can be too difficult or too dense.
Sometimes, close reading takes the enjoyment out of reading. I agree with Hayles that a book, a blog post, a poem, or a Facebook post are interesting only if you find it interesting. It all depends on the person reading and what their likes and dislikes are. Bauerlein claimed that only certain genres can be classified as “interesting” and anything outside of those genres, are not. People have become inspired by trends that happened on the internet and something was done about them only after reading about it online. Digital reading does a lot to further developments in the world we live in.
I slack, you slack 
Hey, Wangmo!
I, too, do enough close reading to “get by.” That I totally understand. I was also really happy to see that you mentioned the thinking that surrounds the idea of “what English majors read.” Yes, I am reading Toni Morrison for a class; yes, I have read Agatha Cristie (it was a brief phase). But whenever I enter that constant conversation with non-English majors where they ask “well since you are an English major, what is your favorite book?” and my answer is always some science fiction book with a ridiculous cover (when will the genre learn that their book covers are doing them no favors?!). Reading engaging Instagram poets or facebook essays should not be diminished (in my opinion). Genres that are completely accepted in the literary culture of today were once looked at and thought to be less than the classical canon of literary work. Poems were once not even considered “real” literature. So maybe one day Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter literature may one day be included in the canon. Enjoyed reading your blog as usual! Thanks for always producing top grade work!
LikeLike
Hi, Wangmo!
Okay let me preface this by saying I almost entirely disagree with you. And thats okay! I think you touched on something very important in this piece- the fact that EVERYONE LEARNS DIFFERENTLY! So, you read digitally are are intellectually stimulated by commentary on Facebook and Youtube. I, on the other hand, am not. I love the smell of books and the satisfaction of turning pages, and usually Facebook infuriates me. Haha! But, even though each of us have different reading style and define different books as educational/enjoyable/Godawful, we are here and we are searching out the same definitions in regards to close/hyper/machine reading. I would challenge you to consider close reading more, perhaps you have gotten so comfortable with the speed in which you can get things done when hyper-reading that you forgot the pure enjoyment of entirely immersing yourself in a novel in order to learn what the author was thinking when they wrote it (or whatever it is you want to glean from close-reading). I think it is crucial that we close-read and hyper-read hand in hand and, occasionally, at the same time. There needs to be a balance and I think that is the big message Hayles was trying to convey. There’s a ying to the yang and somewhere in the middle is the sweet spot. Wherever that is for you is where you will learn best. Right?
LikeLiked by 1 person