• Skip to main content

Jon Frater

Just another WordPress site

  • Home
  • Books
    • Battle Ring Earth
    • Crisis of Command
    • Renegade Imperium
    • Salvage Ops
    • The Blockade
    • NYC Expocalypse
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Newsletter

Uncategorized

Creating Canon: When Book Lists Attack

April 3, 2014 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

 

We had a bit of an outpouring of literary geekery the other night when I found this comment on a friend’s Facebook feed:

Ok most of list I agree with however not being a fan of C.S. Lewis I can say I didn’t get beyond The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I can even agree with The Da Vinci Code being on here, and don’t anyone get all crazy calling me a heretic, The Da Vinci Code was decent fiction regardless of the topic especially when read with Angels and Demons. But check out the very last book #100 I am sorry but there is no way that book can even be considered decently written.

Book #100 is Fifty Shades of Gray.

Learning that tidbit compelled me to look at the list in its entirety, which you can see here. I won’t re-post it here because it’s long and kind of tedious, and frankly unnecessary.

The list is titled “From Zero to Well-read in 100 Books.” I applaud the ideal and the effort that went into it. There’s a lot of extremely high-quality stuff (Twain, Conan Doyle, Chaucer, Orwell, Huxley, Plath, Voltaire, Poe, Dickens, Dickinson, Flaubert) in it. I have some question over the results, specifically the selection process.

The post, written by “Jeff,” is an attempt to define the term “well-read”:

“Well-read” […] has a number of connotations: a familiarity with the monuments of Western literature, an at least passing interest in the high-points of world literature, a willingness to experience a breadth of genres, a special interest in the work of one’s immediate culture, a desire to share in the same reading experiences of many other readers, and an emphasis on the writing of the current day.

The following 100 books (of fiction, poetry, and drama) is an attempt to satisfy those competing requirements. After going through several iterations of the list, one thing surprised me: there are not as many “classic” books that I associate with the moniker well-read, and many more current books than I would have thought. Conversely, to be conversant in the literature of the day turned out to be quite a bit more important than I would have thought.

That’s fine. But to my eyes the list is a jumbled compilation of established canonical literature, non-canon literature, and popular writing. That’s actually what our exchange was about: trying to figure out what the blogger was thinking when he created the list.

I can see C.S. Lewis, because even if Narnia is not your thing, The Screwtape Letters is canon. But Screwtape is not on the list while Narnia is.  The whole list is like that. A few quick examples that got our attention include:

Edith Wharton: Age of Innocence is there but House of Mirth is not.

Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights is there but Jane Eyre is not.

And why Cloud Atlas? I get that it’s an incredibly well structured book but not exactly taught in college lit courses.

Jeff also split up the Bible into The Gospels and The Pentateuch and then assigned them different slots on the list. (#43 and #77 respectively). Yes, it’s alphabetically ordered, but I have yet to find a literary bible study course where the professor makes that distinction. If it’s a study course taught at a religious institution it might make more sense, but it’s still confusing.

More bits: Inferno, but not Purgatorio or Paradiso? The Divine Comedy is a three-book set. It’s not like Dante just sat on the field of ice when he got to the Ninth Circle of Hell. Without redemption and bliss being attainable facets of spiritual life, there can be no value in punishment. Granted, Inferno is the volume most people have heard of, but . . .

Dracula made the list but Frankenstein did not. Neither did Stevenson’s Jekyll & Hyde or anything by Oscar Wilde or H.G Wells.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved made the list but The Bluest Eye did not.

The Illiad and The Odyssey made the list but The Aeneid did not. Yes, I know the Greeks remain more popular than the Romans, but you needed a familiarity with both to consider yourself well-read when I was an undergrad.

Ulysses by Joyce is there but Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is not, which I think is a mistake. Finnegan’s Wake isn’t there either, but to be honest, I’m okay with that.

No William Faulkner. That’s just wrong. No Truman Capote, either. Yes, Capote is an acquired taste, but In Cold Blood is totally canon.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston is there (if mistitled), but nothing by Alice Walker is. Has Jeff never read The Color Purple? Spielberg made a surprisingly good film about it and everything.

One of our thread’s contributors figured out early in the exchange that it seemed as if Jeff fostered a desire to be thought well-read by people he imagined to be educated, but didn’t actually know what knowledge that sort of education called for or what the American canon contained. So he put down canonical authors that he remembered hearing about, and maybe read some of their work. And he put down books that he and his social circle liked:

Ayn Ran: Atlas Shrugged. No.

Douglas Adams: The Hitckhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Works for me.

Doris Lessing: The Golden Notebook: Not my favorite, but not a bad choice.

Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale. Excellent choice.

And of course, E.L. James: Fifty Shades of Gray. I would rather read Atlas Shrugged. Yes, I am serious. At least the sex scenes in that book are interesting.

So, Jeff, if you’re reading this, please pop a reply and defend #100 or any other of your choices. I’d really be interested in hearing how you came up with this list.

My Books

[author_books amount=”3″ size=”150″ type=”random” name=”jonfrater”]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

It’s Been a Rough Few Weeks . . . Can You Tell?

February 26, 2008 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

"The only kinds of fights worth having are those you’re going to lose,
because somebody has to fight them and lose and lose and lose until
someday, somebody who believes as you do wins. In order for somebody to
win an important, major fight 100 years hence, a lot of other people
have got to be willing — for the sheer fun and joy of it — to go
right ahead and fight, knowing you’re going to lose. You mustn’t feel
like a martyr. You’ve got to enjoy it."

—I. F. Stone

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Vatican Publishes Knights Templar Papers

October 12, 2007 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

Here’s one for rare book collectors around the world:

Vatican Publishes Knights Templar Papers.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Magna Carta For Sale–U.S. Constitution Next?

September 27, 2007 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

The UK Independent says that the Only Copy of Magna Carta in Private Hands to be Sold in New York. I’m temped to say something truly obnoxious such as wonder whether the U.S. Constitution can be far behind, seeing as how the current regime in Washington D.C. has little apparent use for it, but I won’t. I don’t need to.  (That’s what headlines are for.)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

RLG to Combine with OCLC

May 3, 2006 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

Just received this tidbit (which is a pretty major tidbit) from Kathleen Gundrum, the Director of Member Services at Nylink:

RLG to combine with OCLC

Combined programs and services to advance offerings
and drive efficiencies for libraries, archives, museums and other research
organizations worldwide

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 3, 2006—Two of the world’s largest
membership-based information organizations have agreed to come together.  The
combined organization will offer an integrated product and service line, and
will give libraries, archives and museums new leverage in developing services,
standards and software that will help them support research and disseminate
knowledge online.

The RLG Board of Directors and OCLC Board of Trustees
have recommended that the two service and research organizations be combined
effective July 1, 2006.  If approved by RLG member institutions, RLG’s online
products and services will be integrated with OCLC products and services, and
RLG’s program initiatives will be brought forward as a new division of OCLC
Programs and Research.

A combined organization would provide an opportunity
to leverage program strengths, services and innovative research initiatives, and
to deliver more value to a greater number of libraries, museums, archives and
other research organizations around the globe.

RLG is a nonprofit organization of over 150 research
libraries, archives, museums and other cultural memory institutions that designs
and delivers innovative information discovery services, organizes collaborative
programs, and takes an active role in creating and promoting relevant standards
and practices.  OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a nonprofit, membership,
library service and research organization whose public purposes of furthering
access to the world’s information and reducing library costs dominate its plans
and activities.  OCLC provides computer-based cataloging, reference, resource
sharing, eContent, preservation services and research to 54,000 libraries in 109
countries.

“The last few years have instilled in us all an
urgent need to find innovative, cost-effective and compelling ways to bring
research collections into the heart of the online environment and into the hands
of those who can benefit from them,” said James Neal, Vice President for
Information Services and University Librarian at Columbia University, and Chair
of the RLG Board of Directors.  “It is time that RLG and OCLC take united action
if we are to realize our long-held and long-shared mutual goal of providing
information to people when and where they need it.  New challenges demand new
thinking, so after deliberation and careful thought, both RLG and OCLC came to
the conclusion that the best way to serve our members’ interests was to combine
forces.”

“The OCLC Board of Trustees and OCLC management
believe that it is in the best interests of the library and cultural heritage
community in general, and the research library community in particular, for RLG
and OCLC to create a united organization that leverages our respective
strengths,” said Betsy Wilson, Dean of University Libraries, University of
Washington, and Chair, OCLC Board of Trustees.  “We must work together, so that
in the years to come, the people and institutions we serve will point to our
alliance as a signal achievement in advancing research, scholarship and
education.”

RLG’s program initiatives would be continued as
RLG-Programs, a new division of OCLC Programs and Research that would provide
programs to support architecture, standards development and best practices, to
name a few.

James Michalko, who currently leads RLG, would serve
as Vice President of RLG-Programs Development, working under the leadership of
Lorcan Dempsey, Vice President of Research and OCLC Chief Strategist. 
RLG-Programs would remain a membership-based organization.  Its agenda would be
shaped by the needs of its members and guided by a dedicated Program Council. 

“RLG-Programs will continue RLG’s successful
tradition of identifying issues and building consensus among research
institutions,” said Mr. Michalko.  “When combined with OCLC’s research
capacities and robust prototyping capabilities, RLG-Programs will transform
collaborative activity for our member institutions.  Through RLG-Programs
initiatives, staff from member institutions will work together to gain and share
competence in the use of new technologies, contribute to the development of new
standards, and collectively improve the ability of researchers to find and use
the rich collections that members manage on their behalf.”

RLG’s online products and services would be
integrated with OCLC service offerings as appropriate.  The potential for
increased services and consolidation of costs would result in overall savings. 
For example, RLIN, the RLG Union Catalog, would be integrated into WorldCat,
delivering economies of scale and reach that would benefit members of both RLG
and OCLC. 

Both organizations are committed to providing
seamless, high-quality services and service levels.  Any change in RLG service
offerings will be announced well in advance.

Approval of the agreement requires the assent of
two-thirds of voting RLG member institutions.  Voting will conclude in early
June.  RLG-Programs would maintain an office in Mountain View, California. 
Staffing decisions will be made in the weeks leading up to the proposed
transition.

“We know that the RLG membership shares with the OCLC
membership a conviction to deliver access to the world’s information,” said Jay
Jordan, OCLC President and CEO.  “Together, we can deliver enhanced solutions
that collect, organize, preserve and provide access to information, not just for
today, but for future generations.”

Nylink promises to keep the updates coming, and as I get them, I’ll post them here.

[Read more…] about RLG to Combine with OCLC

Filed Under: Uncategorized

David Englin Speaks

February 21, 2006 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

This is not strictly a matter for librarians (not all of them anyway), but in the spirit of Presidents’ Day, here’s
a recent speech delivered on the
floor of the

Commonwealth of

Virginia House of Delegates
by David Englin
(D-45)
. He quotes
President Washington, whose birthday we celebrate today; and nothing in his
speech, I suspect, would have drawn anything but approval from President
Lincoln, whose birthday we also celebrate, were he alive today.

[Read more…] about David Englin Speaks

Filed Under: Uncategorized

In The News

February 13, 2006 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

And now, a bunch of pretty decent links:

This week’s favorite line from Techsploitation Chick: "The[rehashed dot.com companies such as] Zupits suck up funding, while true visionaries innovate for free."  Not a bad thing to keep in mind in this age of big companies who want us to use their metadata in ways they determine with minimal imput from us. Controlled vocabularies are nice, but the price for their use is  sometimes quite high. And huge, ostensibly metadata-friendly ILS systems with their myriad add-on services are rarely as customizable as those who sell them to us would have us believe. Anyway, read the whole thing here.

A major event in the "Woo-Hoo!" department is the Academy’s Grey Literature Report being written up in ResourceShelf.   We even made Resource of the Week! (Yea!) Granted, we’re not the only repositories of Grey lit to be found with a bit of effort, but I still think we have one of the bst. But, what do I know? I merely catalog the stuff that goes into the report every couple of months.

Here’s a kind of creepy revelation from The Nation magazine:  "The nation’s largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an
alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and
nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded
service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online."  (The full article is here.)

Another related story on the same issue is here, from the NY Times.  Should something like this go through (unlikely but always possible) how does one get the service of an ISP overseas? Assuming, of course, that this law would apply only to access points within the continental USA? Something to think about.

Here’s something else to think about. Granted, it’s a tiny bit dated, but I think "just plain insiring" is a good description.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Katrina News Source Update

September 16, 2005 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

This is from the NYAM Info Notes blog:

NIEHS Launches Website with global info system for assessing environmental hazards from Hurricane Katrina
   

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, September 9, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Bruske, 919-541-3665, rmackar@niehs.nih.gov
NIEHS LAUNCHES WEBSITE WITH GLOBAL INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING
ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS FROM HURRICANE KATRINA

[Read more…] about Katrina News Source Update

Filed Under: Uncategorized

N’Awlins vs. Katrina

September 7, 2005 by Jon Frater 1 Comment

There’s already tons of material available on the web regarding  New Orleans vs. Katrina, so I won’t post it here.  Except for a few choice tidbits that I found:

SciGuy’s science blog had these immortal (and not a littl creepy considering how things turned out) words from Mark Twain words about Men Vs. The Mississippi River.

Dottie Hiebing recently posted this note from Ray LaFever of the New York State Archives  this message on METRO-L:

"The damage/destruction to cultural and
historical institutions
in Louisiana pales next to the incredible human
suffering, but we worry about them none-the-less.   The American Association of
Museums is developing pages on its website to report on museums affected by
Hurricane Katrina and recovery efforts."

One thing I noticed over the weekend trying to locate resources on the library collections in the city is that 90% of their websites were simply not responding to queries. That’s starting to change now as servers come back online but it’ll probably be a while before they’re back in force. I did hear that the staff of Tulane U. moved most of the first floor collection onto upper floors in the building before the waters came, and Cornell U. has been helping them out. Inside Higher Ed News has a bit more on Katrina-displaced students.

Actually, most of the on-line articles I’ve found have to do with the hit the U.S. economy will take because of the wrecked oil rigs in the Gulf Region . . . they generally ignore the real point, though which is that New Orleans is the biggest port in the United States. I’ll say it again: New Orleans is the biggest port in the United States. George Friedman points out just what that implies for our active living lives even here on the east coast.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Just got stopped by nypd.

July 26, 2005 by Jon Frater 1 Comment

Just got stopped by nypd. I look dangerous! I am a threat to the state! yeah!  I’m e-mailing you from my cell phone! Buwahaha!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

House Blocks a Provision for Patriot Act Inquiries

June 16, 2005 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

The U.S. House of Representatives appears to have done something positive this year. (Librarians, celebrate!) Now to see what the Senate (which is much less devoted to privacy and liberty these days) does with the bill. The full story from the NY Times is behind the link.

I’m going over my notes from the NYLink class from the day before yesterday–I’ll have that up later today. For the moment, I’ll just note that Connexion 1.3 (which is the current version as of March 2005) works very much like CatME, but rather slower: Connexion scans an Oracle database instead of OCLC’s. Still, if you’re used to CatME, you should have few problems making the transition in the next few weeks.

[Read more…] about House Blocks a Provision for Patriot Act Inquiries

Filed Under: Uncategorized

For History Buffs and Researchers

June 9, 2005 by Jon Frater Leave a Comment

Military Personnel Records
Source: National Archives and Records Administration

Opening of Military Personnel Records and Archival Research Room "Opening the Door" to the National Archives in St. Louis

"At 11 AM on Saturday, June 11, 2005, the National Archives National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis will formally open the records of Charles Lindbergh, President John F. Kennedy, General George S. Patton, Steve McQueen, Clark Gable, and Jackie Robinson, among others…. For the first time, nearly 1.2 million official military personnel files of former US Navy and Marine Corps enlisted personnel who served between 1885 and 1939 will be open to the public. This first opening also includes 150 ‘persons of exceptional prominence’, including former Presidents, famous military leaders, celebrities, entertainers and professional athletes who served in the military and have been deceased for at least 10 years."

Filed Under: Uncategorized

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Copyright © 2025 · Powered by ModFarm Sites · Log in