A chart rating intelligence by reading preference based on actual, scientific evidence. Or at least a correlation between university SAT scores and favorite books listed on Facebook. Virgil Griffith has put together fun data sets for both books and music. Click on the image for a bigger, easier to read version.
Note: Deciding to read to Lolita after looking at this chart has not been proven to make you more intelligent. Sorry.
However, you should read Lolita anyway, because it’s a great book.
This is what I was told last night. After reading Pale Fire, I haven’t really wanted to. Maybe I’ll have to check it out afterall.
Not one single romance novel. SIGH. Everyone lies on facebook anyways. Also, Little Women is Chick Lit?! Ridic.
This is too funny. Aren’t statistics wonderful?
Many problems with this, but also fascinated by it. I think one of the more interesting things is that people who read “The Holy Bible” are not as smart as people who read “The Bible”. The oddest thing is, I think I understand why…
Correlation is not causation, yes yes. But why take the fun out of it?
Lusty, true–not Chick Lit and I’m suprised it even made the list as a favorite book. Although I did love it when I was 12.
I hope Art Forum is considered a book. It sure feels like one!
Lolita is the only Nabokov book I’ve read. It’s really excellent. I read it probably about 20 years ago. It’s wonderfully well-written.
I also recommend, off this guy’s chart, Catch-22 and A Clockwork Orange. Make sure you get the full 21-chapter edition of the latter, though. The former is truly one of the greatest novels in the English language, a rollercoaster ride of hilarity and despair, with a punch in the gut near the end.
As for the Holy Bible, you can skip that.
Well, that explains a lot – I’ve never read any of the “right” books…
I’ve seen “Lolita” the movie, though, but, I guess since it was so severely censored, one couldn’t get enough smarts from it…
Catch-22 is GREAT. Loved it. Have not read or seen A Clockwork Orange though. Guess I’ll add it to the list.
Wow that’s great. Gotta love stats, but yeah definitely some problems!
I agree Lolita is great. Such a haunting book. Catch-22 and Atlas Shrugged are also must-reads.
Lolita is my favourite book. How Nabokov managed to write such beautiful prose in a second language is beyond me.
I chickened out of Pale Fire.
That’s okay. I chickened out of Atlas Shrugged. However I have read Prometheus is Pissed. Just kidding. I made that one up.