I'm pretty sure I don't win this one...
Monday, October 5
Thursday, October 1
Money can't buy
I found a list of banned or challenged books that I think you should look at. The first fifty represent the vast majority of books taught in high school. "Books taught in high school" is a difficult category to throw around, but if you look at the books you'll know what I mean.
In the class that influenced me more than any other, "History of the book, history of the reader," I got a chance to look at old lists of banned books and an article by a book banner/burner and I wonder why we want to ban books at all. I'm not going to go on a free speech rant and talk about American values. I just have difficulty stomaching the idea that someone would read (or not read) a book and respond by taking measures to make sure no one reads it.
However, deep down inside, I don't hate the way things have gone. It's difficult to know if book-banning is successful very often because the tendency of the reading public is to seek those books out and, after a few years, declare them masterpieces. Often, the book doesn't even have to be all that good to get lifted up. Instead, it is deemed important because it made such a significant impact on the culture of its time. For an example of terrible literature that has been lifted up to some literary level of greatness, check out The Wide Sargasso Sea. While I recognize why its important, I want to use the phrases "manipulative trash," "sentimental drivel," and "just plain bad writing" as many as times as possible in reference to it. The problem is, you might go and find out what this poorly-written trashy drivel is all about, and you might even ask me why it's "important."
So, if I feel any guilt in hating this book and wanting no one to read it, it's probably because, by writing this, I've probably encouraged someone to read it. Three cheers for banning books.
Lesson learned: If I want to be remembered forever, I should probably write something that's important and not worry about if it's good or not.
Wait! There is another route... Emily Dickinson wanted all of her poems destroyed. Nikolai Gogol actually destroyed the second half of Dead Souls and the remaining half is lifted up as incompletely genius. I could be on to something here.
In the class that influenced me more than any other, "History of the book, history of the reader," I got a chance to look at old lists of banned books and an article by a book banner/burner and I wonder why we want to ban books at all. I'm not going to go on a free speech rant and talk about American values. I just have difficulty stomaching the idea that someone would read (or not read) a book and respond by taking measures to make sure no one reads it.
However, deep down inside, I don't hate the way things have gone. It's difficult to know if book-banning is successful very often because the tendency of the reading public is to seek those books out and, after a few years, declare them masterpieces. Often, the book doesn't even have to be all that good to get lifted up. Instead, it is deemed important because it made such a significant impact on the culture of its time. For an example of terrible literature that has been lifted up to some literary level of greatness, check out The Wide Sargasso Sea. While I recognize why its important, I want to use the phrases "manipulative trash," "sentimental drivel," and "just plain bad writing" as many as times as possible in reference to it. The problem is, you might go and find out what this poorly-written trashy drivel is all about, and you might even ask me why it's "important."
So, if I feel any guilt in hating this book and wanting no one to read it, it's probably because, by writing this, I've probably encouraged someone to read it. Three cheers for banning books.
Lesson learned: If I want to be remembered forever, I should probably write something that's important and not worry about if it's good or not.
Wait! There is another route... Emily Dickinson wanted all of her poems destroyed. Nikolai Gogol actually destroyed the second half of Dead Souls and the remaining half is lifted up as incompletely genius. I could be on to something here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)