Back in March I wrote this post about  a new law in Indiana that would require retailers to register with the state if they (the retailers) sold material that was considered "sexually explicit." Registering meant that retailers would have to pay a $250 registration fee and provide detail to the state about the types of sexually explicit material to be sold.

Well, in a clear victory for freedom of speech/expression, a judge shot the law down pretty quickly. Here’s a snippet from this Publishers Weekly article:

Judge Sarah Evans Baker (who also struck down, in 1984, an anti-pornography law) said in her ruling that the law has too vast a reach "as written." She elaborated: "A romance novel sold at a drugstore, a magazine offering sex advice in a grocery store checkout line, an R-rated DVD sold by a video rental shop, a collection of old Playboy magazines sold by a widow at a garage sale–all incidents of unquestionably lawful, non-obscene, non-pornographic material being sold to adults–would appear to necessitate registration under the statute." Ultimately, Judge Baker said that "such a vague mandate will be unduly burdensome" and "will have a chilling effect on expression."

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Last week I finished reading Harry, Revised by blogger Mark Sarvas (from The Elegant Variation). Since I made a big deal about receiving the book on my front doorstep in this previous post, I thought it’s only fair that I write a few words about the novel.

First, I must say that in the beginning Harry Rent (the protagonist) is a very unlikeable character. Who goes to a diner and hits on Molly the waitress on the day of their dead wife’s funeral? Much of the stuff Harry does in the beginning of the novel is quite selfish and he comes off as very uncaring. Even when he tries to be a "good guy" by helping out the very overweight and unattractive Lucille (another waitress at the diner), he’s doing it merely to impress Molly. Of course, the reality of his plan is much different than what he conjures up in his overactive imagination.

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A little over a year ago I wrote a post about plot vs. character-based fiction (read it here). I basically made the point that "literary fiction" is more character-based, whereas genre (mainstream) fiction is more plot based.

But recently, I was doing a little wikisurfing and I came across this Wikipedia entry for literary fiction. While Wikipedia is not the definitive source of information for any topic, it does give a pretty good overview of what literary fiction is. Aside from what I mentioned above, literary fiction generally has these "properties" that define it as "literary":

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I was thrilled today when I came home from work and found a package from Amazon waiting for me (any day I’m able to add to my library is a good day). I am even more excited about today’s package because I got my copy of Harry, Revised (aff link) – the breakout novel of Mark Sarvas, who as you might recall from this previous post, is the very popular blogger from The Elegant Variation.

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If you’re a literary blogger that writes harsh reviews of other author’s books, and you get your own book published, be prepared the same type of literary-lashing to come back and haunt you. This happened to Mark Sarvas, of The Elegant Variation – a blog I read quite frequently.

Mr. Sarvas recently published his debut novel Harry, Revised (aff link), and according to an article from the Seattle Times, the novel did not receive a warm reception by all:

His tour trailed in the wake of a New York Times review that took several pointed jabs into the guts of "Harry": "Hang-ups about class seem to be both a theme of ‘Harry, Revised’ and a motive for its composition, with Sarvas writing about ‘old money’ in a fashion indicating that he’s never met anyone in possession of it," said reviewer Troy Patterson.

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Well? Can you guess? According to a Reuters article posted on Yahoo!, the Bible is the favorite book among Americans. Given the deep Christian roots in this country, that really doesn’t surprise me. But what about second place, if you believe the poll that the article was based on, it’s "Gone With The Win". Personally, I have never read the latter and only sections of the former.

Getting back to the bible, however, it has implications that go far beyond religion. Many themes and archetypes of characters can be found in the bible. For example, when a character goes from greatness to almost nothing, it is generally alluding to the fall of man (think of Adam and Eve). Or when a character sacrifices him/herself in some way to save others (Jesus anyone?). The list can go on in the number of different ways the bible has influenced Western literature over the centuries.

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Today it was announced that rocker Bob Dylan won an honorary Pulitzer Prize. As a longtime Dylan fan, I was very happy to hear this prestigious award bestowed on one of my favorite musicians. Back in September I wrote this post about Dylan and the influence literature had over him and his music.

According to an article from Yahoo! News, Bob Dylan was chosen for this award because of his:

…"profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

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As many of you know, I’m really interested in the intersection of literature and technology. This is a large subject that includes everything from ebooks, to the way the internet (ie. blogs) is shaping the way we think about literature.

There’s no doubt that previous sources of information of suffered as a result; mainly, print newspapers and the dwindling number of Books sections in news publications around the US. Whether or not this is directly related to the rise of blogs and other electronic media is up for debate. Personally, I think the electronic world of the internet has taken a large bite out of the world of print. People realize that there are more views and opinions than the few "elite" who get their essays published in nationally distributed papers and magazines.

This whole debate between print and digital formats is understandable. Literary critics, theorists and other academics have largely remained  creatures of the print world. Whereas the internet is showing that even your average, everyday, armchair critic can have a powerful voice in the literary community. But why must they fight?  Why can’t we combine that academic prowess of the old-school critics with the far-reaching, more popular online format?

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What happens when a bunch of lawmakers decide that it’s a good idea to make booksellers register with the state government if they sell "sexually explicit material"?

I’m not sure what the answer is, but we’ll probably see a few lawsuits and some good court battles as a result. Basically, on March 13 the governor of Indiana signed into law a bill that requires booksellers to register with the state if they sell sexually explicit material. How do they define sexually explicit material, you ask? Here’s what Publishers Weekly is reporting:

"Sexually explicit material" is defined as any product that is "harmful to minors" under existing law.

I’m glad those genius lawmakers were specific enough so there’s no gray area (sarcasm!). Basically, any sexual content in a book sold at a bookstore could be seen as sexually explicit and thus is harmful to minors. This means that even classics like Shakespeare could qualify, not to mention a lot of contemporary literature, books on human sexuality, photography books with nude photos and…well… you get the idea.

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It appears that literary fabrications are nothing new. Earlier last week I wrote about the most current author to fake her own memoir (see Woman admits fabricating memoir). And tonight I came across an article in the New York Times Book Section. Throughout history authors have been faking their way to literary stardom:

But the history of literary fakers stretches far, far back, at least to the 19th century, when a slave narrative published in 1863 by Archy Moore was revealed as a novel written by a white historian, Richard Hildreth, and into the early 20th, when Joan Lowell wrote a popular autobiography, "Cradle of the Deep," about her colorful childhood aboard a four-masted ship sailing the South Seas; in fact, she had grown up almost entirely in Berkeley, Calif.

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