John Sutherland

[altariel]

I went to hear John Sutherland talk at the London Review Bookshop last night, about his new book How to Read a Novel. He was thoroughly engaging and interesting, and came across as a very nice bloke (although I still wasn't tempted to buy the book). He had that effortlessly democratic attitude to reading that comes from spending forty years being paid to do it, while several audience members were more anxious for the kind of guidelines about how and what to read that the book doesn't seem to contain. One audience member preceded his question (forget what now) by being scornful about the idea that Shakespeare would be writing soaps, and Sutherland very deftly said how fascinating it is the extent to which we surround ourselves with narrative. I liked that response as it managed to reconfigure the original point into something much more interesting, while remaining sweetly polite.

At the end, he talked about ways in which the relationship between author and reader is changing and becoming a more equal and active transaction. "Oh," I thought, "wouldn't it be funny if he mentioned fanfiction?" He talked a bit about reading groups (he is a member of a reading group, but doesn't mention that he's an academic, bless), and then - bingo. There he was, talking about 'more of' and 'more from' and character rape and slash and Cassie Claire. He was selling the idea to a very mainstream audience, so made a big deal about how respectful fanfic writers are to their sources (and he used 'slash fiction' to mean 'fanfiction'), but he was terribly enthusiastic about the whole thing and made a point of saying how good some of it is. But we knew he had it in him from Can Jane Eyre be Happy?, didn't we? Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

but he was terribly enthuasiastic about the whole thing and made a point of saying how good some of it is.

Good for him!

Come out, come out, wherever you are

Were you tempted to ask any pertinent questions?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I was really tempted to say something, but chickened out. Which was daft of me - he spent some time chatting to one of the friends I was with afterwards.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

He sounds like someone worth getting to know more of (and not just for the fanfic comments); I'll look out for the book you mention. Thanks!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Can Jane Eyre Be Happy? and Was Heathcliff a Murderer? are two books of 'literary puzzles': short essays which raise and answer questions arising from classic novels. Real fanficcing territory. And he does 'proper' scholarship too, I gather.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love those books. The Shakespeare one is my least favorite, but because he "relied on other people" I blame the co-author.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

There was a kind of meme in the 'lonely hearts' section of the LRB (I just read it for the articles, man) where advertisers would say they were a fan of John Sutherland. I don't know where it came from but it seemed to amuse him.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

That's brilliant!

[ex-lark-asc.livejournal.com]

Sounds cool :)

I've always wondered whether I'll wind up writing my own fanfictin if/when I get published..

[altariel.livejournal.com]

For some reason I find it much easier to write if I just think of it as writing my own fanfic.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

You are brilliant, woman!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I think it gives me permission to write the things I really want to be writing about, rather than the things I think I ought to be writing about. Angst and lengthy internal monologues ahoy!

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about Shakespeare writing soap operas if he lived now. They're doubtful as to preservation, well, more so than print. I mightn't like the idea much, but I think he'd be writing for Mills & Boon or something like that instead. We do want this hypothetical person's work to have the potential to still be around in a few hundred years' time? Sort of defeats the purpose of the exercise otherwise...

[hafren.livejournal.com]

I am certain he would be writing for TV or film because that is where the money is, and he wasn't doing it for the good of his health or for eternal fame - well, the sonnets maybe, but the plays were to put dinner on the table. See Pete the Parrot and Shakespeare from Don Marquis's immortal archy the cockroach!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Brilliant!

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I agree with hafren that Shakespeare would go where the money is... but Stephen Poliakoff has said that it makes a difference now knowing that his work's going to go out on video/DVD, so a television play isn't just a one-off experience any more, but is out there for people to watch repeatedly.

[jomacmouse.livejournal.com]

Ah, I wasn't looking at that angle, just at the fact that Shakespeare's stuff survived (mostly), and giving a modern Shakespeare's work a chance to do the same. I was trying to think of an equally lucrative market in the here and now to supply that doesn't need quite so much of an active hand to help in preserving the results. Books don't absolutely have to be transferred to another medium if the technology changes (ignoring the bit about paper quality just for the moment). Poliakoff is in print as well, and it's just possible that the print versions will lurk in a corner waiting to be rediscovered after people have stopped bothering about transferring the performed versions to new recording media.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

There he was, talking about 'more of' and 'more from' and character rape and slash and Cassie Claire.

ajhalluk met him at a talk somewhere and put him on to The Democratic Genre (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1854113992), and I know he's name-checked it in at least one column.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Aha! As soon as he said 'more of' and 'more from' I knew he must have read it.

[edge-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Isn't it great when something like that happens!

[altariel.livejournal.com]

It was brilliant! Maybe he should come to the slash study day.

[edge-of-ruin.livejournal.com]

Now there's a thought!

[fjm.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately the book is *awful*.

I've been a huge fan and actually went into the LRB to get the book last week. It's pompous, patronising, and folksie (in unequal mixtures), The endnotes range from dull, obscure to just plain stupid (endnote 26 is the most pointless). And there are factual inaccuracies.

Plus, he has done no knew thinking or research. You can tell if you keep an eye on the dates of the books he cites. His citation of sf for example, while plentiful, is twenty years out of date.

In contrast I'm currently reading Francine Prose's newest book, Reading as a Writer, and it's outstanding.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I got the very strong impression from his talk that the book wasn't going to be great (he talked very little about the book itself). He did mention reading SF, but said it was some time since he'd read much.

Just found this very good interview with Francine Prose, and that sounds like it will be brilliant - thank you for the recommendation.

[mikekellner.livejournal.com]

I agree that Shakespeare would follow the money. But, the real money seems to be in novels that spawn sequels, or authors with successful formulas, so he might improve the library.

This thread planted the thought of a novel about a failed writer who ends up writing his own fan fiction under assumed names to make himself appear successful. Scary thought.

mk

[altariel.livejournal.com]

You should write that idea.

[grondfic.livejournal.com]

Yeah - go with that - it's a great idea.

I had the rather surreal experience of being asked by an unpublished author whether I'd feel inclined to slash any of the characters from her children's novel based on British faery lore. Man! I didn't know what to say, especially as I *whisper* had a few reservations about the novel itself.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Oh, hello! Welcome to the journal :-)

You know, though, it's often the things that feel somehow unsatisfactory that lead to the best fanfic (so speaks the Blake's 7 fan!).

[rcfinch.livejournal.com]

Fanfiction really seems to be making headway, doesn't it?

[altariel.livejournal.com]

This was about as culturally mainstream as you could get, too.