The Case for Goodreads

On November 30, 2012, a respected newish literary website posted a piece that rocked the online literary world. The literary Twitter had a hissy fit. Writer types on Facebook momentarily stopped posting baby pics. The author of the piece (a certain Mr. William Giraldi, hereafter referred to as “Critic”) had reinforced the Menckenian name he’s been making for himself lately, ripping everyone a new one this time. The fourth paragraph of his recent piece, for example, includes comments the Critic might call “caustic gems.” He characterizes “our present climate of criticism” spawned by the internet as “a cacophony of gabble impersonating literary comment, palaver and vulgate enough to warp you.” He proceeds to state that “Literature has always had its leeches, except now the Net has given every one of them a bog to wiggle around in.”