My response to them is, "Bite Me!"
When the National Book Foundation presented Stephen King with a National Book Award for Lifetime Achievement, the bespectacled 56-year-old horror writer accepted the award with humble grace. "This is probably the most exciting thing to happen to me in my career as a writer since the sale of my first book in 1973." He then announced that the Foundation could keep the prize money so they could continue to promote literacy. The medal, he would be proud to keep for himself.
The complaints began rolling in almost immediately. Literary critic Harold Bloom declared that "the publishing industry has stooped terribly low to bestow" such an award on King. He went on to say that King's books "sell in the millions but do little more for humanity than keep the publishing world afloat." Bloom then went on to rant about J. K. Rowling, universities, and the state of the book industry in general.
The melee, when broken down, is less likely about King's specific work or talent and more likely about the attitude of many critics and some readers toward genre fiction. There's a stereotype that horror or science fiction novels are less important than other fiction. The subtext is that genre novels are merely to entertain and have little or no social significance.
Look no further than Mark Liberman's Language Log for more insightfulness concerning this "holier-than-thou" attitude. It is elitist snobbery, and perhaps there is a dash of professional jealousy thrown in for good measure.
Literature is literature regardless of genre classification. Is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein less important due to its horror roots? Is Verne to be dismissed because of the Sci-Fi trappings of 20,000 Leagues? What of Matheson's brilliant Bid Time Return, I am Legend, or What Dreams May Come? Or what of the greatest ghost story of all time, Hamlet? Was the Bard a hack for daring to delve into this unsavory form of storytelling?
Literary elitists need to pull their collective heads out of their asses and take a look around them. There is beauty and wonder to be found in some of the most unexpected places. I mean, you don't really think that X-Men comic books are just about super-powered mutants do you? Look a little deeper...you just might find a gem in the darkness.
The complaints began rolling in almost immediately. Literary critic Harold Bloom declared that "the publishing industry has stooped terribly low to bestow" such an award on King. He went on to say that King's books "sell in the millions but do little more for humanity than keep the publishing world afloat." Bloom then went on to rant about J. K. Rowling, universities, and the state of the book industry in general.
The melee, when broken down, is less likely about King's specific work or talent and more likely about the attitude of many critics and some readers toward genre fiction. There's a stereotype that horror or science fiction novels are less important than other fiction. The subtext is that genre novels are merely to entertain and have little or no social significance.
Look no further than Mark Liberman's Language Log for more insightfulness concerning this "holier-than-thou" attitude. It is elitist snobbery, and perhaps there is a dash of professional jealousy thrown in for good measure.
Literature is literature regardless of genre classification. Is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein less important due to its horror roots? Is Verne to be dismissed because of the Sci-Fi trappings of 20,000 Leagues? What of Matheson's brilliant Bid Time Return, I am Legend, or What Dreams May Come? Or what of the greatest ghost story of all time, Hamlet? Was the Bard a hack for daring to delve into this unsavory form of storytelling?
Literary elitists need to pull their collective heads out of their asses and take a look around them. There is beauty and wonder to be found in some of the most unexpected places. I mean, you don't really think that X-Men comic books are just about super-powered mutants do you? Look a little deeper...you just might find a gem in the darkness.
posted by Bob Freeman at 12:04 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home