Plain Old Books

I've just uploaded an excellent piece onto Vulpes from the very wonderful Rosy Thornton about categorising books. Apart from anything it is entertaining and wry and elegantly written and well worth a look.

I'm not sure whether I agree with RosyT here or not. I mean - I do. But I also don't. And that's partly because of the two hats I wear as a writer and as a reviewer/writer for Vulpes.

RosyT is ostensibly saying we need to level the playing field - let the books speak for themselves. Plain anonymous covers. No blurbs or taglines. No genre. No "high-brow"/"low-brow"/ No "literature" versus "fiction". Even the author's name, she suggests mischievously, could be a give away.

(I should point out for those who are reading this without having read RosyT's post, that it is piece of wry and witty irony. But still, the central point and problem with categorisation remains.)

I have certain sympathies with this. Particularly in light of the rise of the recent phenomenon of "literary fiction" being treated as a genre. I used to think "literary fiction" was James Joyce. But apparently now it is a separate genre - and it does not seem to require literary allusions or intertextuality to be litfic at all. (I know, I know, I'm very behind the times on these things.) I recently heard of another genre called Faux Litfic. So what's that then - a sort of soft "litfic" with "intellectual" pretensions?

Basically this stuff is not so much about the book - but about the book as an accessory, a life-style choice, something to be seen with.

None of this particularly affects me as I don't write litfic anyway - though, as a reader, I don't see what's wrong with "fiction" or "general fiction". (For more on "literature" versus "fiction" read what RosyT has to say.) However, I do sometimes feel frustrated with the dominance of genres in commercial fiction - most particularly the rules that are attached to those genres. I understand the necessity for marketing purposes...but the danger is that it could  fail to encourage anything outside the box.

However, since writing for Vulpes Libris, I have seen how very difficult it is to sum up and present books. As a reviewer you necessarily summarise a book, and to some extent you have to get across what kind of book it is. Thankfully we have a bit of time and space and can waffle on at length trying to get the specifics across. But as soon as you shorten that space, you have to compromise. So, occasionally we have round-ups or group works together, thematically or according to dates: Valentine's Day, Mother's Day etc (not that any of our choices on Vulpes are anything other than idiosyncratic.)  Immediately you are categorising that book whether you like it or not.  Ok, we could be ultra-high minded and not do such polluting things as round-ups or themes. But, it is interesting how these pieces really reach people - readers enjoy them and comment, they often investigate the longer reviews from these round-ups and we are able to bring books to people's attention that we think are great and they might never have heard of in the normal run of things.

I suppose you could say it is not our job on Vulpes to be bringing books to people's attention. We are just reviewing them. But, for me, one of the pleasures of finding something really good is to be able to wave it around at a friend and go "hey, have you read this - it's brilliant - I think you'd really like it". If you care about the culture and want good...oh what word am I going to use? - art (?) entertainment(?) literature (?) fiction (?) stories (?) plain old books (?)(insert whatever terms you are most comfortable with)...then you have to make a fuss when you find something that IS good and, if it is something that others have overlooked, then even more so.

The whole point of having reviewers and sites like ours is that we read them and you - as a reader - can sift through and take a look at the ones you think you might like. We don't all have time to read every single book out there. Reading books isn't all about judgment, it isn't an exam, at the end of the day; it is - or should be - about enjoyment/entertainment/interest/thought-provokingness and about an ongoing conversation. How the books reach the readers that will get those things from them, and vice versa, is the challenge.

I don't know what the answer is to the plain old covers argument. And I expect this whole issue is something I will continue to change my mind about. At the moment, I can't see a way round using  short-hands and categories. But perhaps we just need to get more sophisticated with both the categories themselves and the ways that we use them.

Comments

[Rosy Thornton]

Interesting post, Mock Duck. I suppose what my article ended up proving is that, actually, there's nothing you can do to avoid the problem. As soon as you see a title or a cover - even an author's name - you begin pre-judging. I think it was just meant to be a plea to readers to think about the way they pre-judge - and maybe to be a little slower to leap to conclusions without seeing what's inside the tin.

[The Mock Duckling]

Ah but I do totally agree with you too. That's the problem.

[Nik]

Excellent post, Rosy. By the way, I've just replied to your comment on my blog with a question I would love you to answer...

Nik

[RosyB]

I've hared over there to answer...then remembered you are a children's book writer.

Just to fill in, Nik and I were discussing covers over on his blog and he just asked me what I had imagined for the cover back in the day when I was dreaming about those things before even sending it off to anyone. I did once imagine a cover all black (very dramatic) with a spotlight figure (very small like an icon) looking very respectable in a bowler hat and briefcase, wearing a pink tutu over his pinstriped suit and holding a whip...

But that was back in the day and that was NOTHING to do with marketing or who it might be aimed at or any of that stuff. So it will be interesting to see what they decide on! Oh I'm all excited and scared now!!!!! Anyone else got ideas for their fantasy covers?

[RosyB]

I've hared over there to answer...then remembered you are a children's book writer.

Just to fill in, Nik and I were discussing covers over on his blog and he just asked me what I had imagined for the cover back in the day when I was dreaming about those things before even sending it off to anyone. I did once imagine a cover all black (very dramatic) with a spotlight figure (very small like an icon) looking very respectable in a bowler hat and briefcase, wearing a pink tutu over his pinstriped suit and holding a whip...

But that was back in the day and that was NOTHING to do with marketing or who it might be aimed at or any of that stuff. So it will be interesting to see what they decide on! Oh I'm all excited and scared now!!!!! Anyone else got ideas for their fantasy covers?

[Nik]

Ha! Thanks for your consideration and for remembering The Kids!

I like the suit, whip and tutu (for a cover). Very striking. But I really love the idea of a plain, vivid red. Oh yes, I really like that.

Nik