Why?

[foxtrot]

I wanted to raise awareness about Oprah's book club brand and its insidious implications. Not only was my topic deleted, but it wasn't even graceously sent to hell. Just because you disagree with me, and don't share my views about Oprah's overrated dominion over literature (see fallacy: inappropriate appeal to authority) doesn't mean I should have my opinion erased.

[Atomsk Iscariot]

http://www.blamonet.com/vb/showthread.php?t=79854

[Jackal]

You mean the one that didn't make sense with East of Eden and Go Dog Go!?

We are all aware of Oprah's control over the bestseller list and find it quite awful. I would be bothered if anyone didn't agree with you.

[Osceana]

You mean the one that didn't make sense with East of Eden and Go Dog Go!?

We are all aware of Oprah's control over the bestseller list and find it quite awful. I would be bothered if anyone didn't agree with you.

Well put.

It took me a few minutes to remember what post you were talking about (if that gives you any idea as to how relevant it was to the board).

It wasn't that i necessarily disagreed with you, if you read the post that already addressed that issue that Atomsk Iscariot made ("Frey, Oprah, Truthiness") then you would see that. I'm not trying to be mean, i just didn't see what purpose it had, so i deleted it. But you're probably right though, maybe it should have been sent to Hell instead. I deleted yours (i sent one other thread to Hell) because it didn't make any sense. You said "East Of Eden" was written by Oprah.

But anyway.... I'm just trying to regulate. Sorry if it hurt your feelings.

[foxtrot]

No hard feelings. Is it an undeniable fact that East of Eden is written by John Steinbeck, I'm not claiming otherwise. The perrenial convention of book covers usually entail the author's name in bold letters along with its title. However, not only is Oprah's name inappropriately on the cover, it is highlighted, therby aggrandizing her name with a false sense of accomplishment. When people read these books they will associate them with her name. This what I meant by writting "written by Oprah." It was a joke. Despite Oprah ovezealous attitude about books, she is still a businesswoman not someone we should consult about books. Noone would let Oprah perform surgery on them, yet they choose her book selection. You're right though, I could have used my thread as a response to the other post.

And Jackal:
If everyone dislikes the fact that Orpah is doing this, making my argument obsolete, why do her books remain best-sellers?

[Jackal]

By "everyone" I meant people on the Lit. board here.

Her book choices become best-sellers because she has millions of lonely viewers who think of Oprah as a friend. She has interesting shows about health which usually involves a book written by a Dr. and these make it onto the non-fiction list.

I've been watching her for 18 years. She really comes across as being helpful or just wanting you to share a good book she's found. But most people who buy a book because a tv host likes it, probably aren't concerned with the significance of their choice.

[::friendly ghost::]

big hairy deal, at least she's getting folks to read books, and her picks are often pretty good

i read once that your average american buys something like 1.3 books in their entire lifetime after finishing their formal education... so if oprah's recommendations encourage people to buy and read more books, that's great, in my opinion

(but i still wouldn't want her crummy blurb on any book i ever wrote... too tacky)

[Kinbote]

Jonathan "Mediocrity Defined" Franzen aside, most writers would be more 'n happy to accept, or at least tolerate, Oprah's seal of approval: anything to boost sales and keep them from having to dine on cat food.

[Jackal]

Fuck yeah, if I wrote a book I'd love her tacky emblem on my book. $$$$$


Do you think any modern writer's are writing what will be considered classics 100 years from now? If so who.

[kendra]

big hairy deal, at least she's getting folks to read books, and her picks are often pretty good

i read once that your average american buys something like 1.3 books in their entire lifetime after finishing their formal education... so if oprah's recommendations encourage people to buy and read more books, that's great, in my opinion

(but i still wouldn't want her crummy blurb on any book i ever wrote... too tacky)

I agree with this post in general but... HOLY FUCK, 1.3 books a year? Are you shitting me? These are probably the people that buy People magazine and consider it heavy reading, I guess :darn:

[Jackal]

My husband stopped reading books 10 years ago, when he began spending every second of his time on the internet reading stuff.

I read about 10 books a year, or less.

[Squirrel]

I've not got really stuck into a book for maybe three months now, which is a really long time for me. I usually get a little chain going, like before I was reading everything by Douglas Adams and Hunter S. Thompson that I could get my hands on. But I finished all the Douglas Adams books and got stuck in the middle of 'Fear & Loathing On The Campaign Trail' at about the same time, so now I don't know where to go.

[kendra]

If I have time I will read a part of a book every day. I couldn't live without them.

[Kinbote]

I try for, on average, at least one book a week. Easy while I was unemployed. Less easy now, I've found - it's impossible to read on one's lunch break, I find. Can't concentrate knowing that I'll soon be back at things.

[::friendly ghost::]

Do you think any modern writer's are writing what will be considered classics 100 years from now? If so who.

good question.... i have absolutely no idea

i think people will find rebecca solnit interesting in 100 years, but she writes nonfiction. i think people will enjoy daniel clowes, art spiegelman and robert crumb in 100 years, but they're cartoonists

i wouldn't wanna defend the claim before a panel of hostile eggheads, but i wouldn't be surprised if people still enjoyed harry potter 100 years from now

[Jackal]

Is that enough to be a classic? Loads of people enjoying a book.

I don't know. But these days I'm positive, more than anything else, book sales will decide which are classics.

[Squirrel]

I just realised that I am reading a book that I forgot about, but it's a heavy-going film theory textbook, and I'm pretty much transcribing it into a notebook as I go along. It's the only way stuff sticks!

[Kinbote]

"One can never truly read a book: one can only reread it."

[Intern Kate]

Ah-men. who said?

[Kinbote]

Vee En!