The End of Mainstream

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Last weekend, talking to an artist I know, I said that I used to see literature as one of the highest and most important civilized activities, but that now I was resigned to thinking of it as a specialist niche interest, a tolerated but to-most-people-incomprehensible obsession, akin say to the collecting of rare defective sneakers or stamps. "Literature is no longer mainstream," I said.

"But there is no mainstream any more!" the artist replied.

These words brought me a tremendous sense of release -- a feeling which nowadays always carries a sense of suspicion in its wake. I said doubtfully, "But isn't Hannah Montana mainstream?"

The artist shrugged and said, "Who's that?"

3 comments:

Andrew WMar 23, 2009 05:59 AM
As all the lovily insane people I work with at MIT would add, it also depends on how you define literature. If it's what's found in a bound book, written by a single author, edited by a prestigious editor at a prestigious publishing house, then yep, that's not mainstream anymore. But in another ten years, "mainstream" may consist of web-based collaborations on fanfic from a video game.

There are parallels in the news world. People say, "Journalism is dying!", to which others respond, "Not quite. Newspapers are dying, but journalism is stronger than ever."

So literature as the bound-book is in a decline. But really great mainstream storytelling--from kids' books to The Wire to Bruce Springsteen--isn't going anywhere.
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LillythMar 23, 2009 05:41 PM
Isn't it the role of an artist to say things like "there is no mainstream anymore?
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James WarnerSep 1, 2009 09:02 AM
A publisher recently told me, "All publishing is niche publishing."
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