There was a time when the average reader read a novel simply for the moral he could get out of it, and however na?ve that may have been, it was a good deal less na?ve than some of the limited objectives he has now. Today novels are considered to be entirely concerned with the social or economic or psychological forces that they will by necessity exhibit, or with those details of daily life that are for the good novelist only means to some deeper end.

Summary

This quote suggests that in earlier times, readers would read novels with the intention of extracting moral lessons from them. Despite this perhaps being naïve, it was still more meaningful compared to the current trend where novels are primarily seen as reflections of social, economic, or psychological forces. Nowadays, novels are often viewed as platforms to explore these forces or as vehicles for the author to convey deeper meanings through specific everyday life details. In essence, the quote critiques the shift from moral-centered reading to a more detached and analytical approach to novel consumption.

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