[flagged]
>on YouTube, has 1.5 million subscribers and 158 million views
World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
11–20 of 60 posts
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#12Earlier quoted context omitted.
Install uBlock Origin and you won't see any of that
uBlock doesn’t handle euro cookie banners by default
Yeah, I think you have to enable a couple extra filter lists to get rid of cookie banners and some of the other annoying popups that aren't strictly "ads"
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#13[flagged]
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#14I acknowledge his expertise in literature. I find his approach to non-fiction sometimes less insightful and note a recent shift toward following popular book trends but it’s still great to see his videos.
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#15I went and looked at the Tiktoks. As far as I can see from the few videos I've watched it's not so much "criticism" as "plot overview, small background details, and what I liked about it".
It's kind of weird it's being framed as a tiktok sensation when there's nothing to really differenciate him from other booktokers? Other than perhaps more subscribers than usual.
Also, per the article:
> Edwards champions BookTok and also defends it...
Kind of interesting to note given his video saying he doesn't like booktok books[1]. I suppose he knows not to piss in the pond he drinks from.
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#16I expected that to be a hit job but it's actually rather poignant.
poignant? > His next major growth spurt came when his university career ended. When Oxford University rejected his master’s application in 2020, Edwards posted a video of himself crying, entitled “oxford university rejected my masters application… (sorry this video is sad)”. Social media rewards confession. Authenticity, sincerity and vulnerability were important – more important than orthodox intellectual baubles. I…
Please don't post snark to HN threads. This is in the site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
(I felt the same way when I read this paragraph and the one about Jack being a target of abuse but I couldn’t resist an opportunity to ‘dang’ a ‘dang’ thread. At the same time it is touching how Jack has forged some semblance of a real world community out of this. I still can’t take what he does serious as a whole and I’m not warm to the idea that the “World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok” and I do have a sort of apathy toward the cultural intrigue borne from people in their twenties today. Like dang I was expecting a hit piece and was no less impressed to find it the opposite—fluff. Both poignant in some ways and pathetic in most per my own sensibilities.)
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
poignant? > His next major growth spurt came when his university career ended. When Oxford University rejected his master’s application in 2020, Edwards posted a video of himself crying, entitled “oxford university rejected my masters application… (sorry this video is sad)”. Social media rewards confession. Authenticity, sincerity and vulnerability were important – more important than orthodox intellectual baubles. I…
Please don't post snark to HN threads. This is in the site guidelines: https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html (I felt the same way when I read this paragraph and the one about Jack being a target of abuse but I couldn’t resist an opportunity to ‘dang’ a ‘dang’ thread. At the same time it is touching how Jack has forged some semblance of a real world community out of this. I still can’t take what he does ser…
Backseat moderation is also against the guidelines.
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#18[flagged]
Depends on how you define power, and the article is defining it as influence. Do Jack Edwards reviews influence a substantial population of people to buy/read certain books? Seems like yes. If he's the world's most powerful, that depends on if others are _more_ influential. I personally don't know of any individual who has as big a following that influences reading. So the claim holds for me and doesn't seem hyperbolic.
Re: World’s most powerful literary critic is on TikTok
#19influence ≠ powerful I admit if you are permanently only this might blend together.