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Wednesday, 01 June 2011 14:00 Hannah
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The Great Divide

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I just had tea with someone who reminded me of my reason for doing what I do. He is a lover of books to his very core and in the course of that conversation I was pleased to learn that there are still some people in this world who have an admiration for the art of literary print. An artform that I have been told was antiquated and dying in this digital age. An artform that I have admired but I don't believe I have truly experienced, having come from a generation of technology going on hyper speed.

 

A book is a book, that is what he said. An apt summary of the topic of our discussion, which is the great divide. A divide almost as epic as its name, I refer to the invisible boundaries that have been drawn from one type of literature to another. A fact that even those who don’t enjoy going to bookstores can easily see. There seems to be this stigma attached towards certain genres that can be felt beyond the words of even the most verbose literary critics.

 

If I don’t seem to be making sense then let me ask you this.If you see two people in a coffee shop, both dressed alike and concentrating on their respective books. One is reading Shakespeare’s Othello and the other is reading a comic book. Would you say that they are exactly alike? Would you say one was better? If so, which one and why?

 

What makes one opinion better than the other? Does it take a doctorate? Is there perhaps a quota of the amount of books that one has read to be able to have the privilege to be considered an expert?

 

Who determines popularity and even more importantly who even determines the quality? Is it the people? Because if that is so then how come I found out that Raymond Chandler's contributions to literature has only really been accepted a few months ago? How come Stephen king is highly criticized, or Tolkein not regarded as highly in his own country as he is in others?

 

It's all quite confusing for me. As a young reader, for some reason I was drawn to classics. It was strange to see a thirteen year old reading over and over again a worn out copy of Pride and Prejudice. As years passed, I welcomed other genres in my bookshelf. At the time, I didn't know there was such a difference as " high lit", " Chick lit', and whatever other classifications there are. In college,  I began to see the difference more, and maybe most people would blame my lack of knowledge regarding the differences to my youth. I do admit that I still have much to learn. However, of the many things regarding art and literature that I hope to learn in my future years, learning to judge one type of literature as better than the other, isn't one them. To see their differences, to see their strengths and appreciate their innate beauty even if it's something that don't suit my own tastes. Those are what I hope to gain, and in learning I hope my mind is broadened and not narrowed. A book is a book indeed.

 

 

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Tuesday, 23 March 2010 01:34 Hannah
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In Your Bookshelf

As much as we’d like to think that we don’t judge a book by its cover, if we are truly being honest with each other, we know this isn’t true.  Cover art is a very important part of selling a book, and sadly this is one of the reasons why local publications aren’t being bought. Yes, it may sound shallow but it’s a fact. I’ve had many friends who have picked up a book and walked straight to the cash register just because they fell in love with the cover picture. This is actually why a bulk of them ended up buying Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.

 


Whatever your opinion may be of the Edward-Bella phenomenon, it cannot be denied that the delicate white hands clutching the blood red apple with the black background is appealing, making it understandable that any passerby would stop for a second look.  Even looking inside, the high quality paper and elegant font with very simple and professional layouts, it is all as seductive as any vampire. Now compare that with the cringe-worthy cover art of our local publications. The awkward pictures, strange fonts and tacky colors that grace the cover of the books of our local writers are what people have to see. It doesn’t matter that yes, beyond that less than appealing cover is a brilliant piece of literature, but think, which one would you really rather have in your bookshelf?

I am not a book snob. I love books of all kind, and being one of the many bibliophiles who cannot pass by a second hand bookstore without taking a peek inside, I couldn’t care less whether the pages are falling apart, it’s all the same for me. However, that is not the case for everyone, and isn’t our local literature worthy to have a good cover?

As of now, the cover art of local books are in a bad state. Looking through them in any bookstore, we see paper of bad quality and just really embarrassing cover art. It doesn’t make sense why book lovers have to endure this when we have many wonderful visual artists around who would be more than willing to make these better. It’s not as if there if a deficit of talent around, so I don’t understand why the artists from these mediums cannot come together to create something mutually beneficial. I’m not going against our local books, yes, there are plenty of local books that are quite appealing. However why stop at some, when we can a higher standard for all? For now, local books have the reputation of substance over style. Why not make it a reputation of substance and style? We certainly have more than enough talents to make this possible.

Clichés are clichés for a reason, so that age old warning of never judging a book by its cover has been repeatedly said because the fact of the matter is, people do. Now, what are we going to do about it?

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Last Updated on Saturday, 17 April 2010 07:05