The book as mass commodity: The audience perspective

An examination of the issue of literary massification and degradation of taste in the light of how locally organized reading groups select and respond to books. Although commodification does somewhat narrow the universe of choice for these groups it seems less important in shaping their use of books than are the opinions of cultural authorities or the reader’s own personal experience. Further, the responses of these readers of “good” books resemble in certain ways what is known of reader responses to mass market books, which also undermine a rigid dichotomy between high culture and mass culture.