The Downside of Being a Critic

Ok, so I'm not really a critic. Or an academic - sort of, but not yet. But the downside to spending your days analyzing literature, is the fact that it's hard to stop.

I started noticing this problem when I was in high school. It was hard, once you got into the habit of doing it, not to sit and examine the text. And think about all of the implications. And how I can connect it to a paper.

I did learn to turn this off, but I think I need to relearn it. Especially when it comes to crime fiction. After spending months on a dissertation on crime fiction, it's hard to read the books and not think about a paper I could write.

I've started reading Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy. You've probably heard of the books - Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Girl Who Played With Fire, and Girl Who Kicked a Hornet's Nest. I've read the first novel, and am now on the second. It only took a few days to get through the first one . . . haha. Anyway, now that I'm reading them, all I can think about is how they fit into my dissertation ideas or into other papers I could write.

Crime fiction used to be my respite. I've ruined that. Whoops.

Oh well, it makes it more fun to study.