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People quickly pointed out that this statement covered a lot of different things.
Brand names and other contemporary cultural phenomena are a part of all our lives, so it makes sense that characters interact with them too.
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On top of that, there's no getting past the fact that many, many types of classic works reference things pretty much all the time. Like, to the point where you would probably need to be a scholar to figure them all out.
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That being said, not everyone thought it was fair to compare all this era-defining literature to badly received and forgettable modern books.
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A decade of hindsight seems to be the sweet spot for getting secondhand embarrassment over outdated culture name-dropping.
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Some famous authors feel the need to move with the times.
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Sometimes, all that's needed is a little shout-out for the fans.
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Others were in complete agreement with the statement.
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There's nothing more cringeworthy than trying to make a point and missing.
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Nevertheless, some people still didn't agree with the point.
It's kind of hard to argue with thousands of years of artistic tradition.
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Some of us just get sentimental, OK?
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When it comes down to it, many books that end up standing the test of time for hundreds of years often require full blown translations for many people to understand them, let alone forcing their readers to trawl Wikipedia for any obscure references they might make. Even if we can't catch all the subtle cultural hints, maybe the kitschiness is part of the charm.
People Debate Whether Books Should Make Pop Culture References
When we think of works of famous literature, we're often likely to associate them with a very particular time and place. Something like Pride and Prejudice immediately conjures up the image of elegant balls and regency gowns, and Fifty Shades Of Grey triggers the memory of that one Tumblr daddy dom who made gifsets where he hit his poor furniture with a belt.
No book is an island. Perhaps more so than any other time of cultural artifact, novels and other longform written works are heavily dependent on the context that their authors write into them.
However, to set up all that background requires a lot of skill, and is never going to be to everyone's taste. One of the most important experiences when reading is the feeling that you immerse yourself in the world of the characters with ease, and certain things can get in the way of this. When a reader has no idea what is being alluded to and it's a major part of the plot, it can put a dampener on them connecting with the writing.
At least, this is what @prehniite seems to think. She caused some controversy recently when she requested that contemporary authors stop making pop culture references in their work. This bold statement seemed to split opinion on literary Twitter, with people taking bold stances on both sides.
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