Wow. I definitely never thought about literature or novels in this way before. But it makes complete sense. The only books I ever really look at in a bookstore are the ones that are on the front shelves that say something like "TOP 20 BESTSELLERS". It's crazy but true and I never thought about how these books were being selected as the bestsellers. I never thought about all the politics and advertising that influenced this book selection. It upsets me because it's seems so unfair and unbalanced.
"...a small group of book buyers formed a screen through which novelsShouldn't the American people, the actual readers and consumers of
passed on their way to commercial success; a handful of agents and editors picked
the novels that would compete for the notice of those buyers; a tight
network of advertisers and reviewers...selected from these a few to be
recognized as compelling, important, 'talked-about'" (Ohmann, The Shape
of a Canon).
these books, be making the ultimate decision? And why do we buy into
this "scam" where we just naturally are drawn to the bestseller label? I realize how many excellent books I've been missing simply because I don't move past these novels. Is there a better way to go about this? I don't know but I agree with Ohmann that it is worth challenging.
Here is a link to the New York Times Bestsellers list right now: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html
1 comment:
Amanda,
I completely agree with you. I never really sat down and thought about how social hierarchy and marketing influence what books become the bestsellers and what ones are tossed out of the picture. It is a scary and some what sobering thought to think that a small handful of people control "the best" of everything for everyone.
At the same time I think Ohmann also does have to factor in free will and a person's ability to decide what it is and isn't that they are going to read. It goes both ways and there is a balance.
Post a Comment