This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Nottingham chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Controversy has begun to surround Irish author Sally Rooney after she announced that she intended to donate her earnings from her published works to the organisation Palestine Action, a prescribed terrorist organisation in the UK. Her intention to do so means that her books will no longer be stocked on UK shelves. When current supply sells out best-sellers, Normal People, and Conversations with Friends, will no longer be available for purchase in the UK.

Many people view this as a bizarre consequence of dystopian, authoritarian law-making, with many claiming the result is, in essence, censorship. To express this message, a group of celebrities came forward with an open letter which insists Rooney is “a writer, not a terrorist.” The letter has been signed by a plethora of famous figures including the stars of the TV adaptation of Rooney’s Normal People, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal, as well as one of the show’s directors, Lenny Abrahamson. Other signatories include, Gary Lineker, Tilda Swinton, and Arundhati Roy. One quote which seems to most effectively sum their stance is:

“Their withdrawal from sale, on the basis of ill-conceived and draconian anti-terror legislation, is an affront to basic principles of free speech and expression so long taken for granted in this country”

It is a tricky and technical situation. Rooney is not being censored per se. Rather the question must be asked, is Palestine Action really a terrorist organisation? If the answer is no, as many believe it is, why have over 3,700 people been arrested?

While many have come out in support of Rooney’s politics, on social media I have noticed an onslaught on Rooney’s award-winning writing. While certainly criticisms of her writing have existed long before she made her stance clear, it appears that many are unable to separate their opinions on the author’s actions from the perceived standard of her work. Disagreeing with Rooney’s politics does not mean dismissing her work, nor does admiring her actions ensure that her works are masterpieces. Today I wish to discuss those claims which are made against Rooney’s art.

Rooney is known for her straightforward writing style, one post titled “Sally Rooney’s Sh*tty Writing” by Instagram user @pensandpoison attacks Rooney claiming she has “managed to convince the entire literary establishment to take her bad romance novel seriously.” The user claims that there are two categories of “great books”: those that demonstrate elevated creativity or mastery of language, or those that contain a profound revelation about human nature. Allegedly, Rooney’s work possesses neither of these qualities and instead contains lazy and juvenile descriptions with a lack of human emotions.

It seems difficult to comprehend that “great literature” could be defined so neatly. In my view, attempts by literature purists to beat down Rooney’s work simply expose an inability to realise that texts can be analysed on multiple levels beyond elaborate sentence structures and archaic vocabulary.

Take the opening line of Normal People, for example: “Marianne answers the door when Connell rings the bell.” For me, this opening is fascinating. While it is undeniably simple in prose, in my opinion this makes the plenitude of possible interpretative paths even more extraordinary. Themes of agency, communication, and class are all possibly present in one unassuming sentence. The door might represent the boundaries between the two characters. It is Connell who makes the choice to cross them, but it is Marianne who must allow him. Conversely, Marianne must wait for him to do so. Marianne’s position inside the house, contrasted with Connell’s position outside, may expose the class differences between the characters. Both characters’ actions are defined by their interaction with objects rather than with each other, Marianne is answering the door. Connell is ringing the bell. This may expose how communication between the two is mediated and not so straightforward. The complex power dynamic alluded to in the opening sentence sets the scene for the entire novel.

In a similar vein, others have criticised Rooney’s characters for having, at worst, non-existent or, at best, flat and uninteresting personalities. But as it says on the tin, these are “Normal People”; perhaps what is profound is exactly the lack of profundity. Through stories built on miscommunications and mundane relationship troubles, Rooney has drawn millions in. Clearly, the view that this is “boring” is not the popular one. Perhaps normal people are not nearly as interesting or poetic as literature may wish to lead us to believe. A body of work which manages to garner interest over something seemingly so boring must certainly be accomplished in some way.

Arguably the most polarising aspect of Rooney’s work is her refusal to use quotation marks in framing dialogue. While some view this move as simply bad grammar, it may serve a different literary purpose. The lack of distinction provided for dialogue can represent the communication breakdowns Rooney’s stories are based on. Suddenly, what is thought and what is spoken blend into one, representing issues and anxieties around communication.

With these three criticisms taken in conjunction, I think it is clear that Sally Rooney is not a literary classicist. But how does culture ever evolve if there is never anything new? There is no denying that elaborate sentences, floral language, and noble plots are beautiful, interesting, and soul-shaking. But just because Rooney’s storytelling is not traditional does not mean it is not good, even if that means working from a different definition of good. The reality is that there is no one objective definition of good literature.

There are many who agree with Rooney’s politics, many who don’t. Either way, books which have shaken up the literary world should not be effectively censored. There are many who love Rooney’s writing, many who don’t. Either way, to understand the discussion, the books are definitely worth a read. Read, think, have your own opinions. These are mine.

Sources

On Sally Rooney

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