I realize I'm alone in this opinion, at least I was at the lunch table in the teacher's lounge the day before break, when I last expressed it: "Thank God we have Oprah to discover great literature for us."
Somehow, I'm offended. Like she's claiming Dickens as her own personal author. Or, find.
My mother, ever the Voice of Reason, suggests otherwise. She says, much like my colleagues, "Imagine the people who aren't as well read as you, who haven't read Dickens before. Now they'll be aware of him, and possibly pick him up for the first time."
In the name of educating the unwashed masses, fine. Make a classic work of literature the pick for your Book Club. But, I won't pretend that he's just newly discovered now that his novels have a fancy new cover.
With Oprah's endorsement.
You mean it's not a debut book from a young and up & coming writer, Well bless my socks (other cliches can be used) thanks be to the great & wise OPRAH, for allowing us mere mortals a glimpse of the heights we can achieve with her help, for she doth offer the hand to the ignorant masses.
ReplyDeleteParrish
Ps isn't it blasphemy to diss the OPRAH.
You made me smile, Parrish, as I surely thought I was alone in my annoyance. There are many worthy things that Oprah does, but in my opinion, she ought to leave literature alone. I'm just sayin'...
ReplyDeleteWell, I don't know. I could care less what Oprah picks myself, but I'm sure the ghost of Charles Dickens is pleased. He was always concerned with sales. Of course, his estate isn't getting any part of the profits, now.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with her is that the classics she chooses tend to be ones people have already read. Great Expectations. Seriously? Did you go to high school in America? You've probably read it. If you knew 800,000 people would rush and and buy whatever book you asked them to, wouldn't you have a more interesting pick than this one? Some forgotten book you'd like to rescue from oblivion?
Like say Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Lady Audley's Secret or someting?
My husband just read this post and said, "Well, I'm surprised at you. You're a sweet, kind person, and you just vomited arrogance all over your blog."
ReplyDeleteHe's probably right.
"She's opening up a literary world to people who might not have been exposed to it otherwise, and to me that's a good thing," he said.
See? Just like my mother, the Voice of Reason.
However, if I can't express an opinion on my own blog, where can I?
You have every right to express your opinion and I tend to agree with James, how about a classic that's less well known..
ReplyDeleteYes, Gavin, you and James have an excellent point. A less well known classic would have helped considerably in boosting literary knowledge.
ReplyDeleteBless you, Bellezza. Oprah's pick this month sticks in my craw too.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I thought it was a joke when I first heard. And then I wondered if I'd perhaps missed the subtitle...maybe it was A Tale of Two Cities in Twilight or some variation/adaptation?
ReplyDeleteI guess it is about as opposite as she could get from the hype that surrounded her last pick.
I have mixed feelings about this whole Oprah pick business. I guess part of me feels like, "If she encourages people to read good books, that can't be a horrible thing." But, I can't say I think her choices have been marvelous, in the past, and it annoys me that there's a special printing of the two books (which don't, in my humble opinion, go together well -- why not just Great Expectations??) with her ditzy sticker. If I were a force for encouraging readers, I'd suggest that people rush out to find a battered old copy of Dickens or download him for free. Then, let's all talk about Dickens. It's not the pretty cover that counts, nor do those people who need help deciding what book to read need to help Oprah buy yet another mansion.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I think I'm agreeing with you. ;)
I'm torn. And my interest is not particularly intense. On one hand I will stand up for anyone that is going to pimp out Dickens to the American Target book shopping populace. On the other hand, her presentation was a bit self-aggrandizing (shocker), and I feel that more than a few people are going to experience a 19th century syntactical breakdown for which they have been inadequately prepared. I admire your passion as always though.
ReplyDeleteI'm also slightly torn about her choice. On one hand, I can understand her "want" to "give" Dickens to the masses and those who wouldn't have wanted to pick up his work before. But I think there are much better, and unknown titles out there that are every bit as deserving. Why not introduce her readers to OTHER Victorians who were probably better writers? (I'm biased, as I am not a fan of Dickens). I mean, EVERYONE has heard of Dickens, but not Hardy, Eliot, Trollope, or Collins. That's my argument with it. She never chooses anything surprising, you know?
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more.
ReplyDeleteI was a little STUNNED by this pick myself. Is it about marketing to sell a new edition, of (2) classics?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea that people who might have never been enticed to pick up Dickens before might do so on the back of Oprah choosing two of his books for her book club, but I dislike the inevitable Oprah branded cover - as if she discovered him, like you say. Everyone's heard of Dickens and his books are easily available - we don't need another edition with Oprah's name all over it. What we do need is shelf space in book shops for less well known authors, and yet once again the publishing houses are churning out thousands of copies of what Oprah chose and pushing authors who haven't got the backing of the big publishing houses off the shelves. It's such a wasted opportunity, and also a waste of paper - the amount of Oprah book club choices that end up in remainder bins, thrift stores, etc is ridiculous - I counted 30 copies of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle in the Strand last time I went in!
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that she is encouraging the public to pick up a Dickens book, but at the same time I agree that this new edition is unnecessary. Why can't they just download it for free or borrow a copy from the library? And truthfully, sometimes I do question her picks - like Franzen's latest book. It seemed to me that she really wanted to highlight their past tiff and to show the public how forgiving she can be - which I felt was a tad too much. Who cares if he didn't want his book to be an Oprah pick, not everyone is going to want her endorsement - even if it will help them to sell loads of copies. At the end of the day, I say kudos to you Bellezza for venting your frustrations with Oprah's latest picks. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteOphrah who? Haven't read her...
ReplyDeleteI would say the bigger problem is when books become better known for having been picked by Oprah than anything else. Say, As I Lay Dying. A Nobel Prize winning author, but what's on the cover? An Oprah sticker and nothing else.
ReplyDeleteWell, Oprah isn't telling us anything new and I guess we're disappointed that she didn't pick someone we could get to know. Maybe there aren't any great authors/books out there right now :(
ReplyDeleteSince we have to admit she has an enormous following we should appreciate she recommends these to the populace who hasn't read them.
ReplyDeleteYou know what bothers me? They (whoever they are) came up with a beautiful new cover for Tale of Two Cities and then ruin it all by combining Tale and Great Expectations. Maybe I'm a purist, but I like my books separate; an omnibus is one thing, but combining just two books? No thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnd I intentionally avoid buying editions of books with the Oprah seal of approval. I suppose I'm just ornery, but it's the little things, right?
Just who is this Oprah person anyway? Is she on The View? P.S. Happy New Year, Bellezza!
ReplyDeleteI don't mind that Oprah pics books by Dickens.. I am old (very old) and find "mom is right".. however ... my bone of contention is that she seems to ignor other genre's as "not literary".. isn't ALL reading literary? Doesn't ALL reading expand a persons mind and capability to learn new words? .. I just wonder ya know?
ReplyDeleteHa! Before I even knew about Oprah's pick my coworker came rushing up to me in the halls to announce how excited he was to find that Oprah's picks were available on audio for free. So he's listening to Dickens. And that tickles me.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find sad is that Oprah's never read Dickens? Seriously? (or maybe I heard that incorrectly).
I bet you heard correctly. Or else why would she choose him for herself and everyone else? Ah, you can see that this is still a sore point with me...
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