When American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, he had seen incredible success as a novelist and short story writer, but had failed to leave a mark on the movie scene in Hollywood. He wrote several screenplays, mostly in an effort to try to pull himself out of financial troubles (read more here).

Fast forward to 2008 and Fitzgerald is still trying to make it big in Hollywood – or, at least, his estate is. According to this article from Publishers Weekly, his estate is trying to turn some of his famous novels and even a few short stories into movies:

In December, audiences will see Brad Pitt and Cate Winslett appear in the David Fincher-helmed adaptation of the author’s little-known short story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." And, with Hollywood options on several other Fitzgerald properties, there may soon be a swell of material about, and by, the romantic and doomed Jazz Age writer.

But it keeps getting better:

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You can read books written by your favorite classic authors, you can even read their biographies and study other works written by them. But if you really want to get into the head of your favorite writer, then why not visit the place where they wrote their best works?

I came across an interesting snippet from the Guardian about taking vacations to famed literary spots around the world. And for those of us here in the United States, it doesn’t necessarily mean a trip overseas either:

For those keen to immerse themselves totally in the world of literature while on holiday, there’s a company in the States (www.literarytraveler.com) which offers literary tours.

A lot of bookworms would be surprised that many literary figures didn’t live in large cities like New York or Chicago or even Los Angeles (as many writers seem to migrate to today). In fact, according to the Guardian article, Concord, Massachusetts, a humble town of only about 15,000, can brag about being home to the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa M. Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and others!

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Last month I wrote a post called Sex, Lies and Literature in which I took a look at the why sex has been such a popular theme throughout literary history.

Today, I came across an interesting blog post on the Guardian Unlimited The Blog Books section that got me thinking about this subject again. But instead of asking the why question, I’m more interested now in the how question. More specifically, is it possible to write a sex scene in a literary piece of fiction without blowing it (pardon the expression)? To get you thinking about this, here’s what Lee Rourke said in his post Literary sex is such a turn-off:

When novelists try to make their sex scenes literary, when they try to orchestrate each moan and groan into the book, wasting all that time trying to create the perfect scene, trying to make it seem believable, they fail miserably. The literary approach to writing a decent, believable sex scene is the most embarrassing thing about contemporary literary fiction today.

I do agree with Mr. Rourke that when novelists try to describe "each moan and groan" it can become a bit much. I often find myself flipping through the pages to find where the scene finally ends hoping to get on with the novel.

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This post probably deals more with sex and literature than with lies. I put the word "lies" in the title because it sounds cool and is a little more scandalous!

What would literature be without sex? Pretty darned dull, I think, anyway. And yet many still complain that all the books being published today have too much sex in them (the same is equally said about movies and television). Yet from the time of Shakespeare (probably even earlier) till today, sex has remained a popular theme in many literary works.

Why sex?
Perhaps the simple question above can be answered with a very familiar phrase: Sex sells. As true as that might be, it only gives a very shallow reason why sex is, and has been, so popular in literature. I think the answer to that question goes down to the very core of human nature.

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We can all usually predict that when a movie version of a book is released, the movie usually stinks. Even with popular fiction such as horror, action/adventure, mystery and other popular genres, Hollywood has a unique ability to totally destroy any artistic and entertaining merits a book might hold.

With classic literature, the movies tend to get worse. This post is, in part, prompted by the release of the movie Beowulf, the epic poem of anonymous authorship. While this isn’t the first movie based on Beowulf, it’s cast of famous actors (ie. Anthony Hopkins) and special effects, will probably make this version the most publicized.

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Sometimes I read a story in the news and just shake my head, this just happens to be one of those stories. According to a Yahoo! news article, a teacher in Texas has been placed on paid leave for "allegedly distributing harmful material to a minor":

A popular English teacher has been placed on paid leave — and faces possible criminal charges — after a student’s parents complained to police that a ninth-grade class reading list contained a book about a murderer who has sex with his victims’ bodies.

As disturbing as this case is, for an English teacher to be punished for giving a student a book by a well-known and respected author (in this case the book is Child of God by Cormac McCarthy), it’s even more disturbing that this has turned into a criminal matter. What I also find disturbing is that this book was pulled from a list compiled by high school English teachers because of this one complaint. The vast majority of students and their parents think this teacher should be reinstated:

Last week, more than 120 parents and students crowded into a meeting where the school board voted to keep Tierce on paid leave.

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Who does copyright protect? Obviously, it’s designed to protect the author from people stealing his/her work and selling it as their own. I don’t think anyone would really argue that that’s a bad thing. Copyright, however, also protects the interests of the publishers. It prevents a competing publisher from printing a bestselling book from a different publisher, and then undercutting the price.

However, over the long term, who does copyright really protect, and who does it favor? Classic American author Mark Twain had a few choice ideas about this topic, as he worried greatly about his kids not making any money from his infamous works:

What bothered him about copyright was the fact that it would eventually expire, leaving his heirs without a way to make an easy buck. Twain didn’t want perpetual copyright, only something that would cover his children’s lives. He noted on more than one occasion that the grandkids should fend for themselves, but for Twain and his daughters, he sought to combat "the pirates."

Those "pirates" turn out to be publishers. The problem Twain had was that back then, copyright protection was only extended for 42 years, after which, the work went into the public domain. And once the work goes into the public domain, Twain argues, the publishers start circling like vultures:

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Sometimes it’s interesting to see who literature influences, and Bob Dylan is no exception. I ran across this article while reading through my Google Alerts email, which is tagged "literary news". The article gives a fascinating insight into how literature shaped Bob Dylan as a man, and his music:

Early work such as A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall drew on ancient balladry, Walt Whitman, the French symbolists and more. When Dylan went electric in 1965, fusing rock with what Christopher Ricks has called "the force of poetry" empowered him.

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Every year or so this same issue is brought up: did Shakespeare really write all those plays and poems? 2007 is no different, except for one thing, Britain’s top Shakespearean actors have put forth a "Declaration of Reasonable Doubt" that seeks to breathe new life into this old debate:

Acclaimed actor Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance, the former artistic director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theater in London, unveiled a "Declaration of Reasonable Doubt" on the authorship of Shakespeare’s work Saturday, following the final matinee of "I am Shakespeare," a play investigating the bard’s identity, in Chichester, southern England.

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Have you ever wondered if well-known, classic authors would be able to get published today? One man attempted to find out for himself. David Lassman tried an experiment where he would send out manuscripts of some of Jane Austen’s most timeless work, with a few minor changes. The experiment’s premise is that in todays publishing world, where blockbusters and marketability are everything, someone like Austen wouldn’t stand a chance of landing a publishing contract. Here’s what happened:

After making only minor changes, he sent off opening chapters and plot synopses to 18 of the UK’s biggest publishers and agents. He was amazed when they all sent the manuscripts back with polite but firm "no-thank-you’s" and almost all failed to spot that he was ripping off one of the world’s most famous literary figures.

Now remember that Jane Austen isn’t only known to the literary elite. And as the article from the Guardian Unlimited points out, her books have withstood the test of time and have sold millions of copies. Not to mention all the movie adaptations made from her writing. Jane Austen is definitely a literary powerhouse.

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