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> (I wonder if there's not a basic difference in orientation. I
> consider clear, simple expression a virtue.
If this were true in fiction, P.G. Wodehouse would never have sold a story.
In fiction, presentation counts for a lot.
> It's the lack of the thought, not
> the language that makes these books unmemorable so far as I'm concerned.
> However, you seem to assume that it's usually oriented at less skilled
readers).
It's just that the business case is so clear. There are many readers, at
all different reading levels, who enjoy short, simple romance novels.
Short, simple novels are also very appropriate to readers with marginal
reading skills. There are millions of people with marginal reading skills.
Ka-ching! The publisher who capitalizes on this opportunity by
intentionally maintaining a low grade level will laugh all the way to the
bank. Every time you drop the reading level by a grade, you gain the
potential for scooping up millions of additional readers, but only if you
don't lose some off the other end. It takes a genre where simplicity is
attractive to the readers to allow you to hang onto the full spectrum.
Other genres (and even subgenres within romance) put a premium on things
that are difficult to couple with a low reading level -- atmosphere, nuance,
realistic dialog, to name just three.