"The Plagiarist's Tale"

After I posted on 2/19/12 about a 2/6/12 New Yorker story about Chinese workplace novels, I read two additional fascinating book-related articles in The New Yorker, this time in the February 13 & 20, 2012 issue; I will write about one today and one next time. The first article, “The Plagiarist’s Tale,” by Lizzie Widdicombe, details the case of Quentin Rowan, who wrote under the pen name Q. R. Markham, and whose works over a period of 15 years were patchworks of hundreds of excerpts from the work of other authors, some quite famous. Widdicombe points out that “originality is a relative concept in literature,” as “ideas are doomed to be rehashed….Rowan’s method, though – constructing his work almost entirely from other people’s sentences and paragraphs – makes his book a singular literary artifact,” or, according to Thomas Mallon, “an ‘off-the-charts case’ both in the extent of the plagiarism and in the variety of Rowan’s sources.” The article delves into Rowan’s background, and the way in which he gradually plagiarized more and more, while constantly fearing and believing he would get caught, as he eventually -- but only when his novel “Assassin of Secrets” was published and sold well -- did. Rowan characterizes his plagiarism as an addiction, one as powerful as alcoholism -- an interesting take on plagiarism!

Chinese "Workplace" Novels

Who would have guessed that one of the most popular genres of novels in China is the workplace novel? According to Leslie T. Chang's article, "Working Titles," in the 2/6/12 issue of The New Yorker, "'Zhichang xiaoshuo,' or workplace novels, have topped best-seller lists in recent years." For example, "'Du Lala's Promotion Diary,' by a corporate executive writing under the pen name Li Ke, is the story of a young woman who rises from secretary to human-resources manager at a Fortune 500 company. It has inspired three sequels, a hit movie, and a thirty-two-part television series. The books have sold five million copies." There are subgenres of the workplace novel, such as the "commercial warfare novel," the "financial novel," and the "novel of officialdom." Although they are fiction, many of these books offer extensive advice and "rules" for success in the workplace. Americans might expect that such novels would include romance and/or sex, but publishers tell authors that their novels will sell better with more about finance and less about love. Chang speculates that one reason for the popularity of these workplace novels is that for decades, people in China were assigned jobs by the government, and didn't have to worry too much about competing in the workplace; now that the old system has changed and become more competitive ("Darwinian," Chang calls it), readers are looking for guidance in how to succeed. This article discusses several examples of popular books and their authors, and this discussion provides fascinating insights into what the work world is like in China today.

"Making a Literary Life," by Carolyn See

Upon my recently experiencing a disappointment regarding a piece I had written, my wonderful friend S. sent me a copy of a chapter titled "Make Rejection a Process," from the book "Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers" (Random House, 2002), by Carolyn See. The chapter was smart, funny, and "bracing," a word See likes, and it made me feel better. (Of course rejection is part of the life of any writer, whether of fiction or scholarship or any other type of writing; it comes with the territory.) After reading this chapter, I decided to check out the whole book, and enjoyed reading it. Although it is intended mainly for aspiring fiction writers, rather than academic writers, and although I have been writing and publishing (in modest quantities) for many years, I still found it useful, entertaining, and even inspiring. See, who has published numerous books (mostly fiction), and whose novel "Golden Days" I remember reading some years ago, has a distinctive voice and is generous in sharing her experiences as well as advice. The book is a mixture of practical advice and cheerleading; it is down to earth but also encouraging. As a side note, Carolyn See is the mother of the bestselling author Lisa See, whom she mentions with pride.

So That's Where That Good Book Scent Comes From...

My friend and colleague Andrea sent me a "wall post" with a quote from "Perfumes: The Guide," that she thought -- rightly! -- that I would enjoy. I think I have mentioned here that I -- like many of you, I am sure -- love the smell of books. This quotation says that there is a substance in trees called lignin, which "is a polymer made up of units that are closely related to vanillin. When made into paper and stored for years, it breaks down and smells good. Which is how divine providence has arranged for secondhand bookstores to smell like good quality vanilla absolute, subliminally stoking a hunger for knowledge in all of us." So there is a scientific reason that old books smell so good! I don't think I had identified that smell as being related to vanilla, but it makes sense, as vanilla is such a soothing, feel-good scent.

"The World We Found," by Thrity Umrigar

It is a common theme: the inseparable group of friends who have grown up together, or met at camp or in high school or in college. I always fall for this type of story. In Thrity Umrigar's novel, "The World We Found," the four friends met at their university in Bombay (before it was Mumbai) in the 1970s, 30 years before the main action in the novel. At college they were idealistic, fought political fights, loved, lost, and were always there for each other. OK, this is all familiar stuff, even a little formulaic, although in this case it is set in India, which provides some variety through the setting and cultural aspects. Since the four are mostly of the upper class, their lives are in some ways not so very different from those of the upper class around the world. But Umrigar (mostly) makes us care about these four women, and now 30 years later when one of them, now in America, is very ill and wants the other three to come visit, and to do so as soon as possible, various complications set in. There are secrets from the past and present that jeopardize this plan. The four friends, with some help from husbands and others, have to pull together to overcome obstacles. There are issues of social class, of religion, of gender restrictions, and of sexual identity threaded throughout the novel. I wouldn't recommend going way out of your way to read this novel, but, overall, I liked it; it was an enjoyable read.

"They Were Sisters," by Dorothy Whipple

I seem to be on a bit of a Dorothy Whipple binge. Sometimes when I discover a new (to me) writer whose work I really like, I find and read more and more of that author’s work. I imagine some of you do the same. I recently (on 1/24/12 and 1/30/12) wrote about two of Whipple’s books, and now I have read a third: “They Were Sisters” (Persephone, 2005; originally published by John Murray, 1943). I think I like this novel best of the Whipple books I have read so far. It describes the interlocking lives of three sisters who have taken different paths and married very different men. Lucy is the oldest sister, the one who in childhood always watched and worried over the two younger sisters, and still does. She is in a good, happy marriage with a quirky but kind and compatible man. Charlotte, however, marries a man, Geoffrey, who turns out to be a nasty, horrible, sadistic husband who ruins the lives of his wife and his children. Vera, the most beautiful one, marries a man who adores her, Brian, but whom she doesn’t really love. She enjoys the comfortable lifestyle Brian provides her, has a number of flirtations and even affairs, and finally her marriage crumbles. Her children are somewhat neglected, although they are better off than their cousins, Charlotte and Geoffrey’s children. Lucy is the one who tries to keep the family together and to help her sisters, but nothing she can do really changes things. She does manage, however, to help some of her sisters’ children. Despite the despair and sadness of parts of the story, there is the redeeming power of the love among the sisters, and especially of Lucy’s constant caring and efforts to help her sisters and their children. And it turns out that at least some of the children will survive and even be happy, despite their miserable childhoods. This novel is deeply compelling; I couldn’t stop reading it. The writing is impressive. I am quite sure I will be reading more of Whipple’s fiction very soon.

Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens!

Belated (one day late) 200th birthday greetings to Charles Dickens! This great novelist has given so much pleasure to so many readers for so long. NPR.org had a nice article about Dickens' birthday yesterday, in which Linda Wertheimer quoted Dickens biographer Clare Tomalin as saying "After Shakespeare, Dickens is the great creator of characters, multiple characters." Dickens' novels often contain 100 characters. Tomalin tells us that "David Copperfield" was Dickens' favorite of his own novels. In the same NPR article, novelist Jennifer Egan (a San Francisco native) reminds us how relevant Dickens still is. For example, she says, in 'Bleak House," "one of the major characters is [in] corporate litigation, and the way in which it consumes all kinds of people associated with it" is very relevant today. Egan goes on to get to the heart of the matter: the way Dickens' novels catch up and entrance readers. She tells of a a recent experience, in which "I was on a very bumpy plane ride, an overnight flight. I was so miserable, and I pulled out 'David Copperfield,' and I forgot how scared and tired I was, and I thought, 'This is what reading should be.' I'm utterly transported out of my current situation." Thank you, Charles Dickens, for your wonderful novels.