n Plus Bored

Am I the only person who would stab myself in the eye if litblogs started routinely posting 5,000 word critical essays? I’m betting no.

It may be "lit," but it’s first and foremost a BLOG, people. There is a reason no one reads Yr Serious Lit Journal. It starts with a B.

Keep moving. Do not gawk.

A little clarification: I’m not against lengthy critical essays, but I mostly don’t think blogs are the right venue for that. Five thousand words is LONG. Longer than most of the posts you might be thinking of as Really Long Posts. When I want that, I prefer to get it on paper in a magazine or, um, not at all. The idea that to say something meaningful you have to be verbose is ridiculous, like the other arguments in play here.

10 thoughts on “n Plus Bored”

  1. I was mostly surprised that anyone is taking that essay seriously enough to write 5000 words in response. It’s really prettily written, but its argument is insubstantial and often transparently illogical, and, moreover, like, soo 1999 in its paranoid concern. The internet is ruining our society?!? OMG, I bet we’ll all b writing in txt spk b4 2 long.
    … It made me reevaluate n+1: okay, this is just gorgeous fluff. Which is not so bad, really– I read persuasive essays for entertainment before I read them for education. But that’s one less reason to renew my subscription.

  2. Depends on who’s writing the five thousand word essays. If it’s Maureen Johnson—I’m so there!
    And doesn’t Hal Duncan already do that? 🙂
    But mostly I am with you.

  3. Five thousand words is LONG. Longer than most of the posts you might be thinking of as Really Long Posts.
    I think my record so far is about 3.5k …

  4. I am for 5000 word critical essays, but only if the subject is mind-blowing. And, of course, by mind-blowing I mean the following:
    The Critical Analysis of the Popularity of Snood; or The Critical Analysis of Sexuality in the Thundercats; or The Critical Analysis of Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb.
    Otherwise, really, what’s the point?

  5. Okay, I’ll allow that a 5,000 word critical essay by Maureen Johnson about why your jeans were bad would be AWESOME, Justine.
    Also, Ross’s Thundercats essay is a go.

  6. maybe she meant my genes . . .
    I’ve met your sister, so that one seems unlikely.
    I can’t believe people are posting comments about anything other than the new puppy. New puppy!

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