Ok, first thing I have to admit is that I am totally at a loss as to why two people who I've always considered decent, nice posters at are at each other's throats...it confuses and saddens me. But then, perhaps this is just the way of discussion boards, which might explain why I don't feel a desire to post more often.
Dedalus, I'm trying to understand your point, but I'm wondering what is the purpose in all of this. Is it truly a big deal to you or did this whole thread start as just a musing on your part? That's not intended as a slam, by the way, I am merely curious. You said:
As for encouraging people to read, the distinction has to be made that she encourages people to read the books she herself selects and endorses. I doubt that many of Oprah's viewers read without her at their side. This brush with celebrity -- the thrill of reading what Oprah has read and understanding it more or less as she has -- is the draw, more so than the literature itself. Or so I'd argue
I suppose you may be right, but honestly, in the larger scheme of things, is it all that important? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I read a couple of books because they were brought to my attention due entirely to the fact that they were on Oprah's book club list (I was working in a book store at the time) and I found them to be fascinating, but probably wouldn't have read them otherwise. Not because I allow others to dictate to me what I read, but merely because I am constantly on the lookout for new authors to explore. Your comments about crass commercialism have merit, but at the same time, that is exactly the society that we live in. Personally, I don't choose books to read based on commercialism or literary value, for the most part. I choose them because I find them interesting, entertaining, or informative. I think that it's a mistake to generalize about a large group of people, assuming that they are reading solely on the basis of what Oprah likes, but then again, who knows? More importantly, to my way of thinking, what difference does it make? And therein may lie the fundamental difference in our viewpoints.
As for Harry Potter, well, I happen to love those books, as do my children. Are they literature?? I don't know and frankly don't care, to be honest. We like them, they're fun to read, and the movies were pretty damn good, imo. So what else is there to say?
Dana