The Funeral Song of our Bookish Haven | The Blue Bookcase

Friday, October 1, 2010

The Funeral Song of our Bookish Haven

Posted by MedSchoolWife at 10:00 AM

It's about time for another our-celebrity-culture-is-bleeding-into-and-taking-over-our-sacred-bookish-world rant, ladies and gentlemen.

Earlier this year, when Tyra Banks announced she was writing a novel -- Modelland (I sneer and repeat caustically to myself) I was peeved enough. (see my rather controlled comments about it here). But now, while struggling writers with possibly the next To Kill a Mockingbird, the next Catcher in the Rye, even the next Harry Potter receive rejection letter after rejection letter, their manuscripts likely never to see the light of a printing room, we have people like Justin Bieber writing a memoir and Snooki writing a novel.

SNOOKI, who admits openly that the only two books she has ever read in her entire life are Dear John by Nicholas Sparks and Twilight by Stephanie Myer. Now, our favorite bookstore shelves will be favored with this rich, Pulitzer-worthy novel by a literary genius: A Shore Thing -- the story of a girl “looking for love on the boardwalk (one full of big hair, dark tans, and fights galore)”.

And Justin Bieber. A sixteen-year-old fad pop star who has been famous for less than a second, telling his success story about how he "made it." Smart move, Bieber -- capitalize on your fleeting fame and fortune before your voice changes and everyone realizes what a horrible dancer you are. Please, do give us your sage advice, recount for us your harrowing journey -- tell us, just how did your first love break your heart for the first time, and how you were like baby, baby, baby, oh.

Am I alone in deploring how pop culture continually tries to commandeer -- nay, assault! the sacred literary space? Can our bookish universe not resist the allure of a Banks, a Bieber, or a Snooki? Can it not rise above? I am alive, and yet this still feels remarkably like me rolling in my grave.

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joemmama · 757 weeks ago

Although I am not as good with words as you are......every time I hear one of these idiots say they are writing anything other than a check to my favorite charity, it makes me throw up in my mouth a little....geeze!

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Christina · 757 weeks ago

WORD.

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SleepyJohn · 757 weeks ago

Well, ConnieGirl, if you follow the virulent criticism by many in the 'Establishment', of self-publishing, e-books and other means by which the ordinary peasants can now publish their writings, claiming that such 'illiterate trash' should be abolished - through maintaining the status quo of 'gatekeepers' - you might be forgiven for wondering why said noble gatekeepers, apparently charged with protecting the sensitive public from literary garbage, are falling over themselves to publish the likes of the celebrities you are talking about.

Thanks to digital technology, however, the ordinary peasants can now bypass all this money-making cringe and publish their work themselves, no longer dictated to by self-appointed gatekeepers. As also can, and increasingly are, experienced, established writers who are tired of competing with celebrities for a publisher's attention . I can see these celebrity publishers being gradually marginalised by the intelligent literary public, and by the intelligent literary writers, and eventually themselves becoming the 'illiterate pariahs' that they currently accuse those whose sales potential they mock of being. Intelligent, capable writers no longer need such people to publish their books, and intelligent, capable readers no longer need such people to provide their reading.

So don't worry about it. Our 'bookish universe' is well on the way to 'rising above'. And internet reviewers like yourself are the means by which the independent writers can be connected to the independent readers. Writers, readers and reviewers are all now freed from the restrictions previously placed on them by the established publishing industry.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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ConnieGirl 69p · 756 weeks ago

Very interesting points, SleepyJohn. However, while the new wave of internet/digital/self-publishing does free talented writers from the tyranny of the "gatekeepers," it also adds to the influx of sub-standard writing as well. I suppose it's another inevitable era of grub street, and that's why it's up to us as bloggers to direct readers to the better kinds of books :)

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Shelli · 756 weeks ago

http://thedailywh.at/post/1219245774/snooki-autho...
Don't worry, this about sums it up.

1 reply · active 756 weeks ago

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ConnieGirl 69p · 756 weeks ago

Hahahaha brilliant, and a fair point! Thanks for sharing!

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Blueicegal · 756 weeks ago

Justin has been famous for how long, what has he exactly been through, let me guess his chicken recently passed away maybe that's his life changing experience hes a kid how much can he really go through! fair enough your famous,.. and what so are many others, gimme a break and don't even get me started on snooki she probs can't even spell her own name *sigh*

1 reply · active 756 weeks ago

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ConnieGirl 69p · 756 weeks ago

I'm glad you share my frustrations!

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Cigarette Sally · 756 weeks ago

Snooki- what a joke!

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Heather Rosdol · 756 weeks ago

Justin Bieber isn't old enough to have an autobiography! And Snooki, what a piece of white trash. And sadly, their books will sell because Americans are obsessed with celebs. Snooki should have lost her fifteen minutes of fame a long time ago, but whatever...you won't catch me dead with either book. That's not literature, it's not YA, not romance, mystery, possibly horror, Snooki may be paranormal, how else does that hair get so high and that chest defiy gravity, but it's like a year's worth of National Enquirer's all put into book form if you want my opinion.. And the bookstores will be forced to carry them, because people will want them. So sad!

Heather
Buried in Books

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ConnieGirl 69p · 756 weeks ago

"Snooki may be paranormal"

Well said

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Birdy · 756 weeks ago

Oh my god I cannot believe that pasty faced, wind-blown haired boy is writing an autobiography! Well, at 16 years perhaps there are things that we comparative grandmothers don't know about. And I guess publishers too would want to ride on the fame wave, hence publish such books blindly...

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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ConnieGirl 69p · 756 weeks ago

Yes, alas even publishers are not immune to the "fame wave"

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Lily · 752 weeks ago

Don't forget Tori Spelling and "Stori Telling" or "Mommywood" or "Unchartered TerriTori"

Can you see me rolling my eyes?

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sadmachine 38p · 738 weeks ago

i just remind myself that this sort of stuff isn't even the realm of literature. they may be "writing" books, but they can't invade our sacred bookish haven unless we ourselves start reading their books. besides, there are so many other, bigger things to lose sleep over (world hunger, poverty, lack of universal education, genocide, on and on and on), why waste any of our time on snooki or biebs?

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