Have you ever seen some of the books on today's bestseller lists? Last week, Barnes and Nobles' bestseller list included Paul McKenna's, "I Can Make You Thin." This week, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," by Steve Harvey. Call me crazy, but I don't think people will be reading "I Can Make You Thin" in the Norton Anthology two hundred years from now. I'm sure Shakespeare and Whitman would be rolling over in their graves if they ever saw what our society regards as top sellers these days.
On the other hand, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga has been a phenomenal hit that has undoubtedly deserved to be on bestsellers' lists since day one. Nonetheless, I'm sure plenty would argue with me that it is pure absurdity that Meyer would be ranked as a topseller for so long, or for that matter, at all. I guess not everyone is destined to be a Twilighter much like myself.
But will Meyer be considered a classic years and years from now? Will people be studying J.K. Rowling in high school English classes? Will Stephen King be a required literature course as Shakepspeare is now? Will Shel Silverstein's famous children's poetry still be read in the year 2984? Will Cormac McCarthy's intense thrillers be a required topic of term papers in the 22nd century?
These are just some of the ideas that pop through my head as I push aside my Shakespeare book to pop open my copy of Breaking Dawn, the last in Meyer's vampire romance saga. Times have clearly changed the way people write and what we enjoy reading. At the same time, as good as Stephenie Meyer and Cormac McCarthy may be, I have a hard time imagining people calling them classics one hundred plus years from now. In reality, can they even compare to the brilliance of Shakespeare? I find it morally wrong to even rank Homer's "The Iliad" with McCarthy's "The Road" though I unquestionably love both.
So what will the classics be?
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I completely agree with you inre: there is hardly anything worth reading these days, especially when it comes as a recommendation of the best sellers list. I have recently gotten into books, reading, due to the immense amount of downtime my life has gained, and I find myself reading books that were mostly published fifty years ago: Hemmingway, Kerouac, Vonnegut, WS Burroughs, HS Thompson, etc. You get the point. It seems that writing has died almost all together, with the exception of book series like LOTR, Harry Potter, and the latest craze, Twilight. But what about those of us who aren't 15 year old dweebs (no offense to you)? What happens to those of us who want to gain something from what we read, and feel enlightened by the work of others? I know nothing of any recent books/authors who have had any impact such as those of the past. Like you said, "Will people be studying J.K. Rowling in high school English classes?" I hope not. As an English major yourself, you understand the importance of books as an art but also a reflection of the past. There are many notable generations, but what will they call ours? Keep me posted...
ReplyDeleteWell I just tried to attempt a post, and it failed for some god damn reason, so I'll sum it up to wit:
ReplyDeleteYour point of reading the likes of JK Rowling in English classes is just what I've been asking myself for a while now. I read books that are considered classics, not because I'm impressed with myself, but because I find the writing genuinely brilliant and important. In a generation of humans living with Harry Potter, LOTR and Twilight, where does it leave those of us who want to read to enlighten ourselves? Where do those of us who read to identify with someone or something go when the current craze is in-love vampires? I read Hemmingway, Kerouac, HS Thompson because I believe they critique a certain time period, a certain generation and certain people living in that time. When the most popular and praised books are children's series', where do we turn for a connection to the world around us? Or for that matter, a disconnection? As an English major yourself, I know you've read authors who are considered genius, important, and relevant to not only their time, but even to this day. So......where does this leave us? What will our generation be remembered for? Who is speaking for us, and if nothing else, where is The Genius to break the levee walls??? Keep me updated.