Just my thoughts on..Time Magazine & Lit
Prufrock33@aol.com
Wed, 03 Jun 1998 03:01:13 -0400 (EDT)
Keep in mind this is coming from a burgeoning literture enthusiast...a student
with a major in English. I have not seen the Time nmagazine yet, but certainly
plan to check it out now. Maybe I am playing favorites here as well (I assume
I am) but I would definitely say that cummings should have at least been on
the list. He began a form of writing not evn heard of before, used it
masterfully and had a skill with words that few can compare with. Ginsberg,
yes, I agree. I am sorry but I do agree with Eliot but maybe not so much as
the be all and end all winner (and should their even BE winners?....does it
not some what downgrade the honorable mentions...which are ceratinly of no
insignificance...!!) In the section of poetry...which I find most
interesting...did they not choose the expected? Are we going by names...who
has the most famous, eh? I will be the one to say...what happened to
Salinger...everyone seems to agree that there is a brillance to his work. His
books (especially Catcher) is studied relentlessly, just as The Wastelands. I
wonder if he was considered at all. It seems that the editors at Time chose a
person to stand for pretty much each movement and picked the most popular
names in the circles of writing. They couldn't pick Angelou, in my opinon
because she is too new, not established enough. The same way with Kerouac, his
writing is not VIEWED as great. And who makes these choices? Other writers?
The public (oh, puhlease...the public barely reads the newspaper for the
television)? The intellectuals, the professors? The publishers? Maybe it IS
Time magazine! Well, let the rest of the world know who to quote or bring up
in their conversations concerning literature at their next dinner party. Let's
thank Time magazine for overviewing what we should experience. I would like to
get up and change the channel, but there is a romote for that. I WOULD read
that book or watch that film and form my own opinon...but why bother when I
can just open my magazines?
I hope I have not offended anyone. I am not as stuffy or as disorganized as I
may have come off in this e-mail...my thoughts are running rampid because I am
feeling quite fiery about this topic in particular...
Anyone else have any ideas? (I am not putting down any of the writers...just
questioning the whole idea behind this bull...I also have some pretty
interesting thoughts on what is covered concerning literature in out
classrooms...but I do not want to give everyone a throbbing headache...hehe)
AnGIE