Too Many Novels?
Henry Tilney (in PBS' adaptation of Northanger Abbey) muses: "Perhaps, after all, it is possible to read too many novels." A bold statement. With every expedition into a Christian bookstore, I'm reminded of how chick-lit sells.
What do you think of the "Christian romance" genre? How many chick-lit novels do you read per year? Per month?
Illustration from Solitary-Elegance.comLabels: books, brain food
posted by Hannah at
10:25 AM
13 Comments:
I used to read Christian romance novels all of the time. Oh, how my heart beat! But then I realized how distracting they were to me in my walk with Christ. I quickly resolved to take a long, indefinite break from romances. I recently read one for the first time in a long time (aside from Sense and Sensibility, but I can barely understand it. :D) and I sort of regret it. It's effect on me wasn't a spectacular one. I suppose it's different for different people, but in general, I know it can be distracting.
Bethany
Hannah, I barely read Christian romance novels. Lately, it has been every other month the Love Comes Softly series. And while I read Jane Austen, I try to shake that up too. I never want to read just one particular genre of books. They can breed a spirit of discontent...and I want to prevent that!
I love Chirstian romance novels, but I agree, it is possible to read too many novels. Real life doesn't alway end in "happyly ever after". We have to remember that they are just stories. The author spent hours revising the lines till everyting was perfect, real live isn't like that.
I'm trying to read more novels. It is one of my goals for 2008. My problem is I like to write non-fiction and that is mostly what I read too.
Stop by my blog. I have resolved to actually write on it this year!
Blessings, E
Thankfully, my parents kept me from reading lots of romantic novels, but I still have read some of the classics, like 'Pride & Prejudice'. I don't think that reading lots of romance is a good thing. They can cause discontent with our lives if we let them, but once in a while, I think that they are okay.
Hi Hannah,
I have actually been stalking BFTH for 1-2 years and I'd like to say how I've really enjoyed it.
Anyway, I don't read "Christian Romance" novels. Yes, it is possible to read too much of almost anything! I'm glad you brought this up. I've been cautioned against reading CR and am thankful. They can get you to fantasize too much and constantly think of love/romance and your 'perfect' Mr. Right! But, I do enjoy Jane Austen's "P&P," "S&S" and "Persuasion," as well as the "LCS" movies. It's easier for your mind to get in trouble through books because of all the extra details, than through movies. I agree that they can tend to breed a spirit of discontentment and can keep you from having a deeper relationship with Christ...IMHO.
Shalom,
Sydney :) ;) =)
If Karen Kingsbury falls in the "Christian Romance" genre, then I've probably read over a dozen in the past six months.
But I also read others in the Christian realm (George MacDonald, Robert Whitlow, Angela Hunt, Francine Rivers, Ted Dekker).
And then I like historical fiction as well, like Stephen R. Lawhead about the Crusades, or Jack Whyte about Arthur.
This past week illustrates my varying tastes. In the past 6 days I've read Karen Kingsbury (Found), Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), Angela Hunt (The Elevator), Robert Whitlow (The List), and I'm just starting Jack Whyte (The Skystone).
I think novels (that are written well) can be much more than just entertainment. They're an opportunity not only to increase your vocabulary (depending on the author of course) and your knowledge of the world (i.e. historical fiction), but they also give you a chance to look introspectively to evaluate how you might have reacted to various conflicts in the story.
What can I say, I'm a book nut—and my 16 bookshelves prove it!
I used to read almost nothing but novels. But in past years I can count on one hand how many novels I have read. Knowing this, I have a few novels I have planned to read this year. I think the problem with novels is that I can often feel very guilty reading them. "I could be reading a book on biblical womanhood instead!" But novels can actually have a more profound effect on your perceptions of noble womanhood than can non-fiction books on the same topic. (Mansfield Park, for example, has been an excellent reminder to me that character and personality are two different things, and the former is far more important.)
This is why it is so important to choose books that shape your views of romance and womanhood for the better, and have a good impact on your thought life. I do not find that most of the Christian romance books of today do that. While milder, they are very similar in writing style to the non-Christian romance books I read before becoming a Christian, in that they seem to want to provoke lust. Oh, and did I mention the utterly apalling theology?!? But, if there are exceptions to the rule, I would like to hear of them. :-)
It's great to read your thoughts. I agree that reading novels can be a way to expand the vocabulary--but that depends greatly on the author and the genre. In my experience, vocabulary building is more substantial when reading classics (like Jane Austen) rather than modern lit.
The trouble which I have found in the past when reading many "Christian" books is the lack of good theology. One book in particular depicted the "conversion" of the main character, but her realization that she needed Christ consisted of feeling lonely rather than conviction of sin. Sure, loneliness can drive a person to Christ, but if that's the foundation of their "salvation experience" and not the belief that they're sinners in need of a Savior, then I have a problem with that. Of course, this was only a book character, so her salvation really isn't a big dilemma for me, ;) but I don't want to become acclimated to that sort of watered down view of Christianity via so-called "Christian" fiction. While I can't condemn the entire genre, and exceptions certainly exist, I haven't benefited notably from what I've read.
I enjoy reading anything Christian fiction, but I try to pay attention to what I read and how it affects me. For awhile I had to stop reading Christian romance novels, because it did cause discontent, but I found an author who rights novels that preach to you in so many ways, yet have some romance and because of his books I can now read novels without hurting myself. For those of you who are interested his name is Michael Phillips and his best series is Secret of the Rose and Corrie Belle Hollister Journals. I've read other authors like Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Jannete Oke and Gilbert Morris, but if the books causes problems in my life, the majority of the time I stop reading it. Also, lately I haven't been reading as much as I used to and that helps me alot, when I don't devote all my time to it.
Hannah, I know you know about some of this in my own life: I have really enjoyed reading Christian romance novels. But at the same time, and it's nice to see that others feel the same way, I have noticed that it can be a distraction in my walk with God. I have "abstained" from this genre for quite some time because of that. Though I have been encouraged by the messages in some books, there is also sometimes bad theology, like you said. Readers just need to be careful in what they choose to read, knowing their own hearts and weaknesses, and make sure our reading material is God-honoring.
I echo Sydney when I say that I don't read CR because of the problem of fantasizing about "Mr. Right", etc. I certainly have enough trouble keeping my thoughts on track without a book giving me more! :) I do read and enjoy classics, like Jane Austen, though. However, it is possible to read too much of one thing, except the Bible. That should always be our standard for literature and reading.
I don't read Christian romance (or fiction, really). Actually, these days, I don't have time to read anything I'm not assigned. I've already got two or three hundred classic (and when I say classic, I mean, the type likely to be found on college/college-prep reading lists) novels that I may never get a chance to read.
Confession: Northanger Abbey is my favorite Jane Austen novel, and one of my favorites overall. I'm a big fan of Jane Austen. She makes me laugh, and her wit is biting.
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