The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
I'm currently reading Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections. Franzen was a total mystery to me until I heard about his latest novel Freedom in the New York Times Book Review. Then I read with mixed reactions that Oprah will make Freedom one of her book club selections. I have been enjoying The Corrections and was happy to find that Franzen was in the news. However, being an Oprah selection is a dubious distinction. To me it smacks of pseudo-intelligensia. I know that I am being quite cynical in this because in all fairness, so I believe, Oprah's book club has brought a lot of readers to some good literature. But Franzen shared my concerns about being associated with Oprah years ago when he prevented her from adding The Corrections to her list. He said at the time that he feared it would alianate male readers. Critics have observed that his action probably cost him a significant amount of money since Oprah's endorsement is a powerful marketing tool. I hate the idea of a celebrity insinuating herself into the world of literary criticism. What's next, "Reading with the Kardasians?" I don't think so.
