> Burning books does send
> a message, one which I'm not comfortable with. In a time of
> wide-spread fanatism and intolerance
Including intolerance of book-burning ? (sorry, sorry)
> I can only urge everyone
> who considers burning a book to consider the implications
> of the act. Think about where to draw the line between fun and
> danger, is it clear and sharp? And, if you haven't read
> Fahrenheit 451, read it.
If you haven't read "Comme un roman" by Daniel Pennac, read it.
Come to think, probably only available in Frog. :-(
The Name of the Rose not bad either, book-burning-wise ... :-)
Pennac debunks much of the Cult of Literature that has appeared over the last 150 years or so, and defends the right to USE a book, for one's own personal pleasure, however one wants to ; whether reading it in private, in a group, putting it down if you don't like it, writing something yourself instead, reading it a dozen times, dipping in and out of it instead of reading it in the 'right' order, reading the last page first (or not), tearing out any pages you REALLY HATE, ripping the whole thing up for sheer anger and frustration (that's what happened to MY copy of DoD), putting it down after 75 pages and maybe picking it up 10 years later (my experience with Joyce's Ulysses), having endlessly tedious internet discussion about it, plagiarising it, selling it for pocket money, throwing it into the sea, the river, the rubbish bin, wandering about in the city reading it out loud, using it for toilet paper (curiously enough, a fairly commonplace literary motif ... ), turning it into a huge in-joke for your friends, covering it in turd and sending it to the author, or perhaps having a book-burners get-together/party : whatever : Pennac's point is that the ONLY purpose of literature is to provide enjoyment, very selfish forms of enjoyment, that no-one, no author, no government, no moral authority etc, can legitimately repress nor define : provided they ARE fun, & not destructive political acts etc.
We're hardly having huge, public, televised anti-Dobyski & anti-AH bonfire rallies to eradicate every copy of DoD and Eldorad we can feasibly and forcibly get hold of, thanks to our fanatically devoted, black-shirted, crew-cutted, and tiny-brained Gloranthafan Fire Brigade !
Although come to think of it ...
... sounds like fun !! ;-)
Julian Lord
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