I don’t know why I never thought to do this before but I have now and found I couldn’t help myself once I started no matter how hard I tried. That’s my defense and I’m sticking to it, anyway. Yeah. (BG)
And what did I think of? Well, I decided to do some definition checking on a topic that’s always left me completely confused and irritated in the hopes that maybe finally I could shake free of the miasma. (Bet you think you know what’s coming, don’t you? Hah, we’ll see.) Using Merriam-Webster Online and only those definitions that actually apply to books, we have these to contemplate:
Review: a critical evaluation (as of a book or play)
Well, that was as clear as mud and about as helpful. Scurrying back to MW.
Critical: a : inclined to criticize severely and unfavorably b : consisting of or involving criticism ; also : of or relating to the judgment of critics c : exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation d : including variant readings and scholarly emendations
Evaluation: to determine the significance, worth, or condition of usually by careful appraisal and study
Okay, the evaluation part could go in a positive or negative direction but no way does critical. And even if one chooses to put the blinders on and see it that way by applying a “constructive” adjective to it, no way can negatives be avoided entirely.
Like I said, interesting. And there’s more.
Criticism: 1 a : the act of criticizing usually unfavorably b : a critical observation or remark c : CRITIQUE 2 : the art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature
You know, reading all that it seems to me that a review isn’t actually a review unless it’s mostly looking at the things “wrong” with the subject. Does that equal negative in most people’s minds?
(Also, does that mean that a critical success has nothing wrong with it or everything wrong? Hehehe. Just joking. I think.)
Anyway, so I asked myself, but if reviews are truly supposed to be MORE about problems than pluses, then what’s a mostly positive approach called? And off I went to the dictionary again to look up the word I liked.
Recommendation: 1 a : the act of recommending b : something (as a procedure)recommended 2 : something that recommends or expresses commendation
Hmm. Again, clear as mud. So, let’s see where to go now.
Commend: 2 : to recommend as worthy of confidence or notice
3 : to mention with approbation : PRAISEApprobation: a : an act of approving formally or officially b : COMMENDATION, PRAISE
Okay, this sounds like we’re getting somewhere. Recommendations are definitely positive, raising the question as to what the reverse of a recommendation would be called because I could only find one antonym – denounce – and it was more related to criticism than was useful, which again, is way, way too negative. Then again, maybe that’s the point. If one doesn’t like a book, one obviously can’t recommend it. I’m not sure denouncing it is the proper approach, however.
So, apparently recommendations are all about praise. Reviews are definitely negative in nature but can be more balanced. I do find it interesting that none of the above definitions really address who the intended target audiences for any of them are. I guess that’s left up to context and/or the one doing the reviewing or recommending. Or the denouncing, either, for that matter. If the intended audience isn’t clear, crystal clear, then how do we know when one crosses the line?
Of course, I’m still left with a really, really big question in my head. I already knew I didn’t review and will probably never review newer books – I might be able to bring myself to critically analyze older ones – but now I think I’m going to have to stop calling my demented ramblings recommendations, too.
Oye. This did not help as much as I thought it would.