Literature with figurative language, vivid imagery and craftful storytelling has recently become harder to find in bookstores with the emergence of sexual content in novels.
The emergence of these novels can be attributed to BookTok, a niche corner of TikTok which concentrates on book reviews.
Modern writing has taken a turn towards sexual writing that resembles pornography rather than substantial literature that engages the readers. The content of these novels has began to depict gory depictions of sexual acts and oftentimes, they amass more popularity over books with a genuine message.
Initially, BookTok started as a trend where newer books could gain publicity with large online circulation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, this aided authors who had published novels during social distancing and could not physically promote their book.
Additionally, these novels are now found in the young adult section, made for readers ages 12-18, depicting intense smut rather than prioritizing quality prose. “A lot of books are being written just to be promoted on TikTok,” expressed junior Olivia Sheehan. “Because of these promotions, people are reading poor literature because unfortunately, it’s what sells.”
These novels repeatedly spew similar content and plotlines that offer no variety to existing literature.
The books that circulate tend to be carbon copies of one another in terms of genre, book length and style. “Those types of books tend to be shorter, quicker reads. They focus on salacious content and other literature that might be more challenging might not immediately spark interest,” said librarian Carissa McDonald.
Declining variety in books has also manifested in a decline in writing quality of the published novels. Nuanced novels have become increasingly difficult to find as more and more authors feel pressured to conform to trending genres.
Unfortunately, the lack of nuance is being rewarded. “I was at B.A.M. to look for the classics section, and they used to have three or four shelves filled with them. Now, these books have been replaced with a BookTok section and classical literature has shrunk to half a shelf, ” added Sheehan.
BookTok has converted literature into a convoluted blend of novels containing only the trendiest genres and books. What used to be art has now become a bland sea of repetitive plotlines, offering no intellectual stimulation for readers. Authors and publishers must reduce their tolerance for trends and return to complex and nuanced literature.
