I spoke of limiting my literary allegiances. As a horror fiction reader/writer I have certainly heard all the misconceptions people have of the horror genre, the misconceptions which keep people from considering the potential worth of the genre, and the misconceptions which keep people ignorant of how the horror genre has permeated our culture, and certainly all other kinds of literature. I assume that if people were less susceptible to prevailing attitudes toward horror, they would find the genre to be a substantial source of ideas and entertainment; even if they didn’t, they would be forced to acknowledge the inherent value of the genre.
The people I am used to hearing these misconceptions from are people who are allied to mainstream literature (often called literary fiction which implies that other kinds of fiction are not of equal merit, and so, I consider it to be a misnomer). I can understand where their ideas come from—they have been isolated by school or by peers and teachers (and by teachers, I mean anyone who sets an example to be followed). I am amazed, though, by readers and authors who have allied themselves to a marginalized genre, such as science fiction, who believe their genre deserves respect and consideration and yet feel comfortable marginalizing other genres, such as horror, fantasy or mystery. Their allegiance to a single genre has blinded them to their blatantly contradictory behavior. In order to make such an allegiance seem reasonable, they need for their genre to be superior to others—either in specific ways, or in general. Of course this is counterproductive, assuming the goal is for genre fiction to be recognized not as the bastard offspring of mainstream fiction, but as literature which grew naturally from the mainstream to address unique needs—to explore unique aspects of being a human. We should be grateful to know our existence is being considered from so many different viewpoints rather than feeling territorial.
Let me repeat—and add to—an obvious statement: there is a lot to know, a lot to read, more than any one person can ever expect to read, much less process, so it is best to have as many people learning as much as possible, in as many areas/ways as possible. Specialists, exploring the world through their lenses, gradually introduce ideas to our general knowledge base, and from that we all benefit. So, we should encourage uniqueness in others, while cultivating our own interests. And, I think in doing so—being supportive and true to our own interests—we would remain open to the unexpected directions new ideas take us in—we would not fight to remain in the narrow universe we think we should be in—because so many others are crammed into it. In literature, we might discover that the genre we shunned through dull ignorance is an enlightening addition to our lives—or the source of what we were looking for all along.
I’m not idealistic enough to think that any of these suggestions are simple. The parents who figured out a way to help their autistic child had a terrific motivation to learn a whole new language (that is, the vocabulary and the mindset used by doctors and scientists). To access something you’ve never been consciously exposed to before—such as horror fiction—involves work: the work of learning a new literary language and the work of unlearning previous ideas and misconceptions. I am idealistic enough to believe that with such work comes reward; that knowledge is a reward of its own kind; that constantly reexamining your world will keep you wholly alive.

* I urge you to read more about Mrs. Seroussi’s self-education on the topic of autism, and the discovery she made, with the help of her husband and an online community of parents with autistic children. This story, and links to related information, can be found at: http://members.aol.com/
autismndi/PAGES/PMarticl.htm