Jefferson claims that when someone sets aside
"instructional" reading for novels, several negative changes will occur in the reader,
such as:
1. Time
lost--Jefferson does not see reading fiction as a wise use of time; he
believes that a person must keep himself "instructively employed." His mentality is
understandable when one considers his era--a period of time-consuming manual labor and
weighty matter of state.
2. A poisoning of
the mind--Jefferson also strongly claims that novel reading becomes
addictive and eradicates one's desire to engage in "wholesome" reading. For Jefferson, a
Rationalist, writing that encouraged one to rely on his feelings and imagination has no
merit. He goes so far as to call fiction a "mass of trash" which has the power to turn
someone completely away from appropriate reading.
3.
Poor judgment--Not only does reading fiction take away
one's quest for logic (according to Jefferson); it also clouds the reader's judgment and
hinders him from performing acts logically, such as business
transactions.
4. Moral soundness and a
development of "taste and style": Jefferson does admit that reading a
little bit of fiction can help someone develop his or her moral compass and that poetry
from the likes of Shakespeare, Pope, and others can shape an appreciation for complex
writing.
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