The Oprah BookClub
Every writer has his or her own dreams of success. For some, it's the NY Times list, for some, it's the six figure advance, for some, it's simply being published. I think, for me, it's getting to be an Oprah pick, which is so sad because I don't have a chance in hell.
I watched her biography yesterday and realized what a fabulous woman she is, and how in a culture of cheap smarminess, she is the genuine article, but I'd love to sit down and chat with her about her choice in books... How naive she is in her story choices.
The big question? Who says that someone must always die? You know, Shakespeare wrote some really good stuff, and people didn't have to die all the time. I admit, he's more famous for the tragic stuff, but still...
Charles Dickens, there's another one. He was having a rip-roaring good time, and some critic said to him, "Well, nobody dies," and Charles thought about this and wrote A Tale of Two Cities. And now it's quoted everywhere, "Tis a far, far better story I wrote when I had this guy die." Very cleverly, he slid right past the death rule when he wrote A Christmas Carol, which only has a dream-death, which isn't the same as a true, throw yourself on the cross death (i.e. The Passion of Christ, which illustrates my point beautifully)
I could name a gazillion authors who will refuse to write a story unless it contains death. Stephen King, James Patterson, Barbara Kingsolver. Anybody can write a great story if they put death in it, but I'm throwing down the gauntlet here. Write a great story WITHOUT death and let's see how far talent alone gets you....
Pathos here, pathos there, pathos is lining the shelves of bookstores and libraries everywhere. Well, I'm here to say STOP THE DEATH! Talk to your local librarian, say, "Excuse me, do you have any books where nobody dies?" Write to your favor authors and say, "I'm feeling a little off-death now. Can you write something a bit cheerier? Something where somebody can actually complete a character arc without bloodshed of either a) a brother, sister, child, father, mother b) favored teacher c) friend who nobody EVER suspected was suicidal."
How much happier would the world be with a cheerful Oprah pick? Think of the good we could do. Next time you see a book that involves the death of a main character, or revolves around someone putting his/her/it’s life together after the death of a child/mother/owner, challenge yourself to walk by it. Hold your head high. It's time we said no to death in literature. Before there are no live characters left in literature at all.
I watched her biography yesterday and realized what a fabulous woman she is, and how in a culture of cheap smarminess, she is the genuine article, but I'd love to sit down and chat with her about her choice in books... How naive she is in her story choices.
The big question? Who says that someone must always die? You know, Shakespeare wrote some really good stuff, and people didn't have to die all the time. I admit, he's more famous for the tragic stuff, but still...
Charles Dickens, there's another one. He was having a rip-roaring good time, and some critic said to him, "Well, nobody dies," and Charles thought about this and wrote A Tale of Two Cities. And now it's quoted everywhere, "Tis a far, far better story I wrote when I had this guy die." Very cleverly, he slid right past the death rule when he wrote A Christmas Carol, which only has a dream-death, which isn't the same as a true, throw yourself on the cross death (i.e. The Passion of Christ, which illustrates my point beautifully)
I could name a gazillion authors who will refuse to write a story unless it contains death. Stephen King, James Patterson, Barbara Kingsolver. Anybody can write a great story if they put death in it, but I'm throwing down the gauntlet here. Write a great story WITHOUT death and let's see how far talent alone gets you....
Pathos here, pathos there, pathos is lining the shelves of bookstores and libraries everywhere. Well, I'm here to say STOP THE DEATH! Talk to your local librarian, say, "Excuse me, do you have any books where nobody dies?" Write to your favor authors and say, "I'm feeling a little off-death now. Can you write something a bit cheerier? Something where somebody can actually complete a character arc without bloodshed of either a) a brother, sister, child, father, mother b) favored teacher c) friend who nobody EVER suspected was suicidal."
How much happier would the world be with a cheerful Oprah pick? Think of the good we could do. Next time you see a book that involves the death of a main character, or revolves around someone putting his/her/it’s life together after the death of a child/mother/owner, challenge yourself to walk by it. Hold your head high. It's time we said no to death in literature. Before there are no live characters left in literature at all.
posted by Kathleen at 12:59 PM
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