Book ’em – Literary IP, Library misdeeds, and Superman
Books don’t carry quite the same weight as they once did. Not that many years ago, everything that mattered in the world could be found in books. Before easy screen and AI answers, books were the repository for all knowledge, available to anyone who knew how to look. They have lost a lot of that luster.
Still, over the past few weeks, I’ve felt books – or at least the idea of books – in the atmosphere. Whether important novels or pulp paper comics, the idea of the printed word seems to be on my mind. It certainly inspired this week’s Magic Three which is, ironically, only available digitally.
The Great American IP
We live in a culture saturated by the easy appeal of intellectual property. Whether it’s Wicked dipping back in the familiar old land of Oz, Taylor Swift minting money off sets built on the foundation of her greatest hits, or Frasier Crane returning – perhaps without invitation – to a television screen near you, everything old is new again. And while it could, and should, be argued that even the freshest take on an old idea feels a bit mercenary, there is clearly money to be made off every nostalgic stripe. So has it always been and so shall it always be.
The exception, however, is literature. Or at least it used to be.
I’m not talking about books. Literature is always a book, but not every book is literature. I’m not immune to the familiar charms of an ongoing series that mines repeating themes book after book. I’m a beach ‘Reacher’ reader for sure. But I’ve always found comfort in the idea that Great Literature was wholly original. Ahab and Ishmael only exist in the dense prose of ‘Moby Dick.’ There is no ‘Grapes of Wrath II: Joad on the Road’ in the Steinbeck catalogue. The novels we consider – or are told – are Great Literature have always felt sacrosanct and immune to the allure of IP invention.
But that seems to be changing.
Last year, the Barbara Kingsolver novel ‘Demon Copperhead’ was awarded literature’s highest honor – a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. And while it is certainly an exceptional work worthy of a long and leisurely read, it’s also unapologetically an Appalachian take on the Charles Dickens novel ‘David Copperfield’ and a great deal of the appeal comes from observing how Kingsolver translates that tale.
And she is not alone.
This year, the Big Book with a capital B is ‘James’ by Percival Everett. I’ve long been an Everett fan and am particularly fond of ‘Erasure,’ a stunner of a novel that captures the pathos of both writing and race relations without giving either short shrift. It’s a truly original work. ‘James,’ although excellent, is not. This year’s National Book Award winner, it recounts the familiar tale of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of his slave companion Jim. It is – like ‘Demon Copperhead’ – a truly excellent novel, but both are strictly speaking IP. Admittedly, it is difficult for me to fault either of these books, but there is something about the idea of them that nags. I wonder if either of these enormously talented and acclaimed authors would have enjoyed the same acclaim and attention had there not been a lure of familiarity. Perhaps, but a little help from Dickens and Twain certainly did them no harm.
Library lost
If I were to have a signature scent, it would probably be Eau du Library. It’s very specific and, for me, tied to incredibly important memories. You see, my mother was a library fan. She took my sister and me to libraries throughout our childhoods and there was nothing that made me feel as giddy and free as being told the I was free to pick a book or two or three. For the most part my selections were not exceptional – a blend of Hardy Boys mysteries and biographies written with the young reader in mind. I recall being strangely obsessed with one about the composer Josef Haydn. Go figure.
Occasionally, however, I would stray, picking up something a little stronger. Perhaps a slightly sexy Heinlein that had slipped through the cracks, or one of Michener novels I never quite made my way through. Those were the books that challenged and shaped me as a reader. I can’t imagine what might have happened without those books and, more significantly, those ideas. Sadly, that experience may be lost – particularly in Columbia County.
First, let me go on the record as reporting that I do not believe the library holds the kind of allure it did when I was young – and that is a shame. Library controversy feels slightly diluted because people don’t frequent libraries, and protesting might be a little like pointing out safety failings on a Conestoga wagon. How many are truly affected?
Still, it pains me to see titles being shifted out of the children’s section at Columbia County libraries not because they were written with a more mature audience in mind, but because the Columbia County Advisory Library Board has deemed themes and ideas inappropriate for young readers.
Who gets to dictate how appropriate ideas may or may not be?
Sure, I understand that sexuality, biology, and mental health may lead to uncomfortable conversations, but is it the duty of the library to sequester those ideas or to make them available? I say the latter.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a parent and there were books that I chose to introduce my kids to only after I felt they were mature enough to handle the material. That’s the job of a parent. It’s not the job of the library. The job of the library is to make ideas – all ideas – available.
And to smell great.
Things are looking up
Was I just complaining about the oversaturation of IP? File this under Exception to the Rule, because as it turns out I am all in on Superman. Recently, the first trailer for James Gunn’s (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad) Superman was released. It may not have been a movie, given that somewhat soft reception the most recent Man of Steel features have received, that people were clamoring for. Superman, as a character, can be a little on-the-nose and he is an earnest hero for sure. But after watching (and watching and watching) the candy-colored trailer, I’m ready for that very specific style of superhero cheese. What surprised me the most is elements I thought might turn me off – most notably the inclusion of Superman’s super dog Krypto – actually enthused me. I felt myself yearning for those things that had kept the convenience store comic book rack spinning for me as a kid. I found myself falling for the simple story of someone driven to improve the world – as well as some blockbuster action.
It will be interesting to see how the movie compares to the trailer and how subsequent fare – Superman is the first of many slated DC comic book films planned – compares. There certainly is a real risk of the sharp disappointment that comes with too much hype. But for now, I am ready.
Super ready.