The Joy of Literary Discussion

On Monday, I gathered with my small group at the restraunt our for Intro to Literature class. We discussed reading and books over breakfast. Among the texts discussed were Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult, and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. I believe it is very important for people to talk about the things they read for various reasons. First of all, they can impart interesting information or valuable truths others can reflect on and possibly even somehow use in their own lives.  Second of all, readers are always curious about what others are reading because they know they may also enjoy the literature these readers find so interesting. Third, dialoguing about literature can just be plain fun. It is very engaging and enjoyable to sit down with someone and discuss the literature they like to read. Fourth, literary discussion spreads need-to-know information. There all sorts of things being printed about in newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc. that should be discussed. If we  discuss news we read in these and other media we can better form and refine what we believe about the events by learning of and considering other viewpoints. However, if we don't dialogue about news events then we aren't getting those other perspectives and will only see the events from one side. Can literary discussion be negative? Literary discussion, or any discussion for that matter, can be made into something negative if one or more of the participants are only talking so they can  hear how smart they sound or so they can enjoy having people look at them admiringly. It can also be negative if the discussion turns into an argument in which everyone is so determined to have their own say they refuse to listen to others and are only concerned about being right. Literary discussion is meant for the civil exchange of ideas and information that we learn from texts, not a battleground upon which the participants argue about who is right or who is wrong about how they interpret the text.