Anyone who knows me is well aware of my weakness for meta. Songs about the radio, films about film history, and books about books all have the same knee-weakening capability. I am also a sucker for royal iconography, so I really didn't stand a chance when Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader was sitting on the new book shelf. Just look at that cover and swoon.
The story revolves around Queen Elizabeth at an unspecific time period, except for the fact that around the middle of the story, the death of Diana occurs. She stumbles upon the mobile library, and out of courtesy borrows a book. As she describes, she begins to build her literary muscle and gains an insatiable need to read. Her new hobby is met with disdain from those in her inner circle, these obstacles allowing for contemplation of two impressions of the act of reading: that it is elitist and that it is dangerous.
I read this book days after receiving a mass company email at work. The marketing supervisor decided to let us all know, for whatever reason, that his New Year's resolution was to read. To read?! He actually admitted to taking his kids to the library and *gasp* decided to pick up a book for himself. One book? Is this normal? I know that those scary studies are released every now and again that 25% of Americans went a whole year without reading a book, but really, who are these people? This email, in conjunction with Bennett's book made me wonder what Mr. Marketing would think of my regular reading. Would he be as equally shocked?
I read this book days after receiving a mass company email at work. The marketing supervisor decided to let us all know, for whatever reason, that his New Year's resolution was to read. To read?! He actually admitted to taking his kids to the library and *gasp* decided to pick up a book for himself. One book? Is this normal? I know that those scary studies are released every now and again that 25% of Americans went a whole year without reading a book, but really, who are these people? This email, in conjunction with Bennett's book made me wonder what Mr. Marketing would think of my regular reading. Would he be as equally shocked?
When was reading 'swift-boated'? And I don't mean Mortimer Adler reading. Pleasure reading, without taking notes, reading once and possibly forgetting most of the text is fine. So when did it become ivory tower? Perhaps the problem is with making something so personal and solitary a mass movement. I guess this supposedly solipsistic aspect of reading is what makes it subversive, or at least potentially so. The continual banning of books must stem from the 'pen is mightier than the sword' adage, although today it is more likely to be applied as 'the pen in mightier than the filmic image of the sword.' How true this is, I have no idea.
There are a lot of other interesting elements regarding the modern place of the monarchy in British society, especially that will be the more interesting aspect for some readers, I'm sure. But, overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
3 comments:
It's true that many people never read, but it's also true that a larger proportion of the population reads now than at any point in history. It's only recently that reading stopped being an ivory tower pursuit. Widespread literacy only happened like a hundred years ago.
This is true, but I guess the concept of reading as a past time, not simply a skill is more what I was getting at. And I think my response was so tied to the book, since there are so many negative responses to the Queen's act of reading. So, ethan with a lowercase 'e', pick it up. It's short. You'll like it.
Sorry, beth with a lowercase b, I only read things about robots and space.
I might read it. We'll see.
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