First of all: ahahahaha Salon thought they needed to take Dan Chaon, an author and writing professor, to task for—get this—telling his students to read. “Most contemporary literary fiction is terrible,” the headline reads, and it may not shock you to learn that what follows doesn’t exactly expand on that idea so much as repeatedly accept it at face value. Fair enough, thou click-baiting contrarian cads!

But then of course the commenters have to prove their own mettle and it is just glorious. Here are some highlights:

—People continually praising someone named “Cormack” McCarthy.

—“Bleak House, Dante’s Inferno, Portrait of a Lady, and Gulliver’s Travels are probably some of the most unpleasant reads I’ve ever experienced.”

—“I don’t completely agree, and have blogged on Huffington Post about it.”

—The addition of “echo chamber” to every mention of “MFA.”

—“To paraphrase Roland Barthes…”

—“A few years ago in Venice (where I live)…”

—“I don’t think I know one guy under 50 (outside of writers) who reads any fiction.”

—“My comment takes subjective taste into account, and makes the necessary adjustments, so you’re wrong.

—“Actually, literary fiction does suck.”

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