new yourk times book review

new yourk times book review

The Importance of Book Reviews in The New York Times

1. The Influence of The New York Times Book Review

In determining the influence of The New York Times Book Review, it seems appropriate to describe the book review’s stated mission, which is to publish reviews of the newest and most noteworthy books in all fields, informed by an expert opinion. This is accomplished through daily reviews and news available on the internet, weekly publication of the stand-alone book review, and interviews or features with authors, as well as a podcast. The intended audience is quite large and is an important factor in the influence the book review wields. According to a survey, eighty percent of adults in the United States have read a book in the past year. The most recent data shows that forty-nine percent of American adults read a book for pleasure on a daily or weekly basis. While we will not assume that only Americans read the New York Times Book Review, it is clear that Americans remain a major target. Distinct reader demographics are not available about the book review, but for the newspaper as a whole they are roughly middle-aged, slightly more wealthy than average, and highly educated. This probably describes the average reader of the book review. With book reading becoming less common as one goes down in age and education levels, using a more educated readership has a disproportionate influence on reading as a whole. From the audience rostrum, one can form a rough idea of the book review’s influence simply from being part of the New York Times. Due to its history and reputation, the New York Times is a national paper of record and regarded as the United States’ newspaper of record. Being published in the United States’ newspaper of record makes the review national and the most widely read of American book reviews. Although no concrete statistics are available on the book review’s readership, the internet age does not bode well for the print newspaper. Times selects and book review are still available from the New York Times and widely read.

1. The Influence of The New York Times Book Review

2. Methodology 3. Manuscripts and editorship 4. Subject matter 5. Conclusion

2. The Role of Book Reviews in Shaping Literary Trends

Given that most people are not willing to take the risk of buying a book which they are not sure they will like, authors and publishers looking to sell a title on the commonly educated man will do so by attempting to convince him that the book is good. In his essay “On The New York Times,” Hackett refers to this as an effort to reach the largest audience to which a particular book is addressed. This usually means that the author will try to write a book which appeals to the masses, and we have seen from the previous assumption that the masses are reading the New York Times. Since it is overtly stated that no firm can serve the public intelligently unless it understands the public, and because publishers and authors will seek to produce a book of a certain quality, it is not unlikely that they will turn to the New York Times Book Review in order to gauge reader response to their book in a particular social or intellectual milieu.

The answer lies in the power that the New York Times has to shape literary trends. This power essentially comes from the fact that modern-day publishers and authors serve the commonly educated man, a concept defined by Hackett in a particular social or intellectual milieu. Because the Times is recognized as a newspaper of record, a formal statement of law, custom, or principle, the book reviews are considered a reliable source of information. So what is written about a book in a New York Times review will be viewed as the official judgment of that book. It follows that since people will only buy a book if it comes recommended to them, they must first be aware of the fact that the book exists.

Book reviews have a specific purpose: they help people decide whether they should or shouldn’t buy a book. In addition, they give the reader a better idea of what the book is like, so it isn’t necessary to pick up a book and read it only to find out that it is a waste of time. The same holds true for the New York Times Book Review. Without question, it is the most influential book review publication. Any review in the NYTBR is taken very seriously in literary circles. In fact, many authors consider the review to be the only review that truly matters. Now the question is, why is this review so notably superior to other reviews?

3. The Power of Criticism: Analyzing and Evaluating Literature

The two broad methods of criticism of evaluating literature are the relativist and absolutist positions, the former is an attempt to judge the work based on its context and purpose and the latter is to measure it against fixed standards of art. This point was noted in a response to a question as to how the ideal review might educate an intelligent reading public. E.S Dallas believed that the reviewer should make clear the intent of a work and judge it against that purpose. T.S Eliot has held the greatest influence in defining standards for art in the 20th century, he briefly forsook his creative writing to perform an evaluative role at a literary magazine called The Criterion where he sought to raise standards of literature by example and criticism. He simply yearned for a learned and appreciative readership that might learn to discriminate between good and bad writing. Eliot had scorn for what he considered to be an impurity of the poet’s soul in criticism, as such he was more reflective and less emotive and thus present in the absolute method.

Sir Frank Kermode described what might be considered a taxonomy of literary criticism and its methods. He suggested that there are two key questions that a reader might ask and two methods of answering. The questions might be: How does the piece work? Why? Kermode suggested that the first question is best addressed by close reading and the second by deeper hermeneutic forms. He suggested that these questions aim to isolate the complexities of art from the writer’s achievement. Close reading is particularly pertinent when the work in question is a classic or has some claim to greatness – it is an active seeking out of the factors that make it so. Another former academic, Valentine Cunningham had earlier claimed that the best literary criticism is often an act of love.

Several different types of strategies and methods of evaluating literature were discussed by the interviewed book critics, and several indicated that they do not consciously use a system. One exception to this was Michiko Kakutani, critic and former chief book critic for The New York Times. Kakutani is known for her tough, extremely detailed reviews, which can range from informative to scathing. She is highly conscious and methodical in her approach to reviewing books. In contrast with her artful newspaper colleagues, she seems to see her role as a detective or debunker of inflated reputations. Her critical identities extend to perceptive biographer and latterly an instructor of postgraduate students on a course called The Critical Act.

4. Discovering New Authors and Diverse Perspectives

The New York Times Book Review has taken special care to increase the diversity of voices in its pages and online, with the aim of “reflecting the world of books and ideas, and drawing in all sorts of readers”. We recognize that American society, and the world of books, is inhabited by an increasing variety of people, voices, and literary styles, and we want our readers to be exposed to this broader world through literature. We also want to contribute to a literary culture that is enhanced, rather than divided, by the variety of voices in it. As former editor Rebecca Sinkler puts it, “We want all our readers, regardless of what kind of literature they like or what language they speak, to recognize this as their literary journal.” One of the primary vehicles for the discovery and embrace of new and diverse literary voices is the review- and through the reviews of The New York Times Book Review, its editors and readers have made significant discoveries over the years. For example, Joy Harjo was a relatively unknown Native American poet until she was reviewed in The New York Times Book Review. Since then, she has become the Poet Laureate of the United States, and her memoir continues to be at the top of the NYTimes Best Seller List. Caryl Phillips’ first novel was out of print in the US before it was reviewed in the Book Review: now he is a well-known author. These examples are not unique or unusual. How often have ads for books in other magazines said “as seen in The New York Times”, as it is well known in the literary world that a positive review in The New York Times Book Review can be hugely consequential to an author’s career. By reviewing a wide variety of authors and literature from all over the world, The New York Times Book Review also gives readers exposure to voices and perspectives that they might not encounter otherwise. Through encountering the various backgrounds, styles, and perspectives of writers from around the world, readers gain the opportunity to think critically and mercifully about their own cultural assumptions.

5. Engaging Readers and Fostering a Love for Reading

It was that kind of interaction between readers and books they were enthusiastic about getting across, that was thought about when asking what engaging readers meant. The Times found that the under-40 crowd had the highest rates of utilizing their site for book information and are actually more likely to have read a book in the past year from any format compared to older adults. This was surprising, as society usually perceives increasingly younger generations as being less and less likely to have an interest in reading books. So “engaging” is not so much trying to entice them to want to read when they currently have no interest, but more trying to provide something to readers to see that book news and reviews are easily accessible and is valid information, while also reaching out to those who do not currently partake in the hobby. Thus, the goal was mostly investing in book content on all platforms NYT already provides to readers: articles, multimedia, blogs, and others with hopes that the book reviews receive more exposure and the conversation on book news can remain active.