Applying Lewis to Amazon Reviewers

In An Experiment in Criticism C. S. Lewis gives some brilliant wisdom for reading and judging books.  Normally books are judged by who reads and likes them, but in Experiment in Criticism Lewis suggests we should judge books by how they are read.

Here is a summary of Lewis's proposal: "If all went ideally well we should end by defining good literature as that which permits, invites, or even compels good reading; and bad, as that which does the same for bad reading." But Lewis clarifies that a good book doesn't necessarily prevent bad readings: "We must, therefore, say that what damns a book is not the existence of bad readings, but the absence of good ones."

Lewis frees book reviewing, critiquing, and choosing from the fancy of fashion. He also exhorts us to be charitable. Lewis invites us to engage in intelligent discussion over literature, but in the end to extend charity to the reader who finds real joy in a book we can't enjoy.

What does all this have to do with Amazon book reviews? Amazon is riddled with thoughtless, unhelpful, and senseless reviews. It is also filled with negative reviews, many of the uncharitable type. You would be hard pressed to find any books that didn't have haters. This is the worst type of criticism that Lewis was writing against.

So I aim to apply Lewis more thoroughly when using Amazon or any other type of reviews. Reviews are still helpful aids in deciding which books to read or buy. However, from now on I am going to pay less attention to, or simply ignore, negative reviews. What I am looking for is intelligent, positive reviews. If a reader really engages with a particular writing, and can defend what is valuable about a book, that should be enough.

The first act of understanding any work is surrender, and this becomes harder to do the more we are told it is not worth the effort.