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High-Art Literary Tradition

Apparently Jonathan Franzen has decided that he is not above marketing his literary masterpiece, "The Corrections", to the middlebrow Oprah plebes.

"Franzen says he feels 'awful' about feud"

My first reaction was HAHAHAHAHA.

Then I tried sympathizing with him. Maybe he was surprised by the announcement he was going to be in the Book Club. I figure they would have asked his permission first before going public with it. But maybe it went something like this:

(Franzen's cell phone rings)

"Johnny! Guess what!" his breathless agent exclaims. "You've been picked as the next member of Oprah's book club!"

"Oh shit," Johnny thinks. "There goes my street cred."

So, a bit panicked, Franzen ends up saying that the Oprah logo makes him feel "uncomfortable", and that "I feel like I?m solidly in the high-art literary tradition." As opposed to all those other schlubs on the list who aren't.

Now, why exactly does one turn down an award?

You do it because you find the award so offensive, that you would rather insult the people granting you the award than accept it even grudgingly. That's a pretty strong statement. I mean, can understand rejecting an award from, say, the National Alliance book club. But why waste your ammunition on all those nice ladies who watch Oprah?

So far Oprah is refusing to speak with Franzen, and is presumably moving on. All I have to say is, you go, girl.

One last unrelated bit: Par Botes forwarded me a link to OddTodd.com. Maybe the funniest thing I've seen in a couple of months. Be warned, there's sound.

Posted by Evan Goer on Nov. 08, 2001 at 3:03 PM