Bestsellers and Prize-Winners: Contemporary Cultures of Reading and Literature

Have you noticed how books that win the most literary awards and prizes are often the ones that get read the least? In this course students will study the disconnect between what professionals think we should read versus what people actually read, and how they engage with books, reading, and publishing in our digital age. We will examine canon formation, the process by which books become “classics.” At the same time, we will identify current trends in the literary world, while considering the roles of marketing, advertising, and social media (such as Booktok). This course aims to analyze the social forces that shape literary and reading cultures, so it is well-suited for students interested in studying books from a sociological rather than purely literary perspective.