If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Categorization of Authors
For some time now, I have been organizing (or trying to organize) my
library. General categories now existing a History Literature English (language) American British Canadian etc. French (includes French speaking countries besides France) Spanish (includes Spanish speaking countries besides Spain) etc. Mystery Espionage Science Fiction (not including fantasy which goes into general literature) Art Photography All Other Art Law Reference Languages Sciences etc. I have encountered several problems in all this. 1. There is a gray area between history and literature. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is generally considered literature not history, for instance, even though it is not "fictional". So I have been unsure where to put memoirs. For instance, Lillian Hellman's writings could mostly fit under both categories. Another instance: Jay Valtin, "Out of the Night". 2. Some authors are hard to put into one of my subcategories of literature. I know that I may have complicated things by breaking English language literature down by country, but I did it because, within each subcategory I organize the bookshelves chronologically, and I find that seeing the books chronologically on the shelves gives me a sense of how they may relate to one another, say through ideas picked up by one writer from another. In any case, there are a few authors who cannot be easily said to be of one country or another, and I expect that in the future, this will get worse. The ones I am struggling with now are; a. James Clavell. Born in Australia of British parents, educated in England, spent crucial years in the Indo-China region, started writing in England, went to the USA, became an American citizen, wrote most of his great works while in the USA. Died in Europe. b. Vladimir Nabokov. Born in Russia. Learned 3 languages as a child. Fled Russia for Germany. Fled Germany for France. Fled France for the USA. Did most of his writing in the USA, where he lived for less than 20 years. Moved to Switzerland where he died. c. M. M. Kaye. Born in India of British parents. Raised in India for a while, sent to England for teen years of education, returned to India, wrote about India, married a British diplomat, travelled and wrote stories set everywhere that she traveled. Any help resolving these problems would be most appreciated. Francis A. Miniter |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote...
For some time now, I have been organizing (or trying to organize) my library. General categories now existing a [list snipped] I have encountered several problems in all this. 1. There is a gray area between history and literature.... A useful category here is "belles lettres": literary nonfiction, which can also be stretched to fit literary criticism (e.g. TS Eliot's volumes of literary theory). 2. Some authors are hard to put into one of my subcategories of literature.... Since this is *your* library, choosing where to put these authors is, I think, a matter of deciding where they lie in your personal intellectual landscape. My votes would be: a. James Clavell. British. b. Vladimir Nabokov. American. c. M. M. Kaye. British. But you certainly might choose otherwise depending on how you think of them and why you read them. You might even choose to create a new category of multinational (polynational?) authors--including also, say, Joseph Conrad, Michael Ondaatje, Eliot (of course), and many others. -- Jon Meyers (To reply, lose your way) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message ...
For some time now, I have been organizing (or trying to organize) my library. General categories now existing a snip Science Fiction (not including fantasy which goes into general literature) So fantasy is "literature" while science fiction isn't? As the denizens of rasfw will tell you, there is no clear dividing line between these two genres, so why not just group them together under the category Speculative Fiction? I have encountered several problems in all this. 1. There is a gray area between history and literature. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is generally considered literature not history, for instance, even though it is not "fictional". This is news to me. When I go into any bookstore, I expect to find this one, along with Cellini's and Rousseau's, and Casanova's, in the autobiography section, and I invariably do. The fact that this title happens to be a well-known classic of its type still doesn't elevate it out of its category. Therein lies chaos. So I have been unsure where to put memoirs. For instance, Lillian Hellman's writings could mostly fit under both categories. Another instance: Jay Valtin, "Out of the Night". I'd certainly group memoirs together with the autobiographies; both are first-person accounts of life events...that are to be taken with lots of salt. Query about multi-national authors I'd go with the country that published most of their works. Or alternatively, their most well known ones. -- Ht |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Htn963 wrote:
"Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message ... For some time now, I have been organizing (or trying to organize) my library. General categories now existing a snip Science Fiction (not including fantasy which goes into general literature) So fantasy is "literature" while science fiction isn't? As the denizens of rasfw will tell you, there is no clear dividing line between these two genres, so why not just group them together under the category Speculative Fiction? Hi Ht, I want to thank you and Jon Meyers for your responses. I have occasionally considered a separate category for auotbiography-memoirs-literary non-fiction, but have dreaded the effort it will require. I suppose, however, I may have to. Unfortunately, I seem to have quite a lot that will go into that category. So, I will have to decide where in the house they get filed, what bookcases they get, etc. As to fantasy and science fiction, I should explain that the "fantasy" I read is of the T. H. White and Tolkien variety, closer in my mind to Beowolf and Le Morte d'Arthur, than to Conan the Barbarian. Science fiction I separate because it has become a well-defined segment of literature, not that it is not literature. The same goes for mystery (and espionage) novels. I recall a passage from Dorothy Sayers' novel "Gaudy Night" where her fictional female mystery novel writer comments that she wrote one mystery novel and it sold well so that is all that her publishers will let her write now, and as a consequence, she tries to write good literature in the guise of the mystery genre. And certainly there are a lot of literary mystery writers. Just take a look at Martha Grimes latest novel "Foul Matter", which takes a mischievous look at the publishing industry and writers. Francis A. Miniter |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
On Sun, 02 May 2004 11:04:23 -0400, "Francis A. Miniter"
wrote: Htn963 wrote: "Francis A. Miniter" wrote in message ... For some time now, I have been organizing (or trying to organize) my library. General categories now existing a snip Science Fiction (not including fantasy which goes into general literature) So fantasy is "literature" while science fiction isn't? As the denizens of rasfw will tell you, there is no clear dividing line between these two genres, so why not just group them together under the category Speculative Fiction? Hi Ht, I want to thank you and Jon Meyers for your responses. I have occasionally considered a separate category for auotbiography-memoirs-literary non-fiction, but have dreaded the effort it will require. I suppose, however, I may have to. Unfortunately, I seem to have quite a lot that will go into that category. So, I will have to decide where in the house they get filed, what bookcases they get, etc. As to fantasy and science fiction, I should explain that the "fantasy" I read is of the T. H. White and Tolkien variety, closer in my mind to Beowolf and Le Morte d'Arthur, than to Conan the Barbarian. Science fiction I separate because it has become a well-defined segment of literature, not that it is not literature. The same goes for mystery (and espionage) novels. I recall a passage from Dorothy Sayers' novel "Gaudy Night" where her fictional female mystery novel writer comments that she wrote one mystery novel and it sold well so that is all that her publishers will let her write now, and as a consequence, she tries to write good literature in the guise of the mystery genre. And certainly there are a lot of literary mystery writers. Just take a look at Martha Grimes latest novel "Foul Matter", which takes a mischievous look at the publishing industry and writers. Francis A. Miniter I can't help but wonder where you'll wind up filing a copy of THE FLYING BEAST by Walter S. Masterman. It features series detective Arthur Sinclair (mystery), has a flying saucer (science-fiction), and includes a gothic mansion, (horror/gothic), and a lost race (fantasy). I finally gave up and re-shelved in three catagories (fiction, non-fiction, & reference). Which is not to say that there aren;t dozens of books that I use for reference in the fiction or non-fiction collections, but the reference shelf is limited to those hundred or so titles that I'm convinced I need close at hand at all times... Cheers, John |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Jon Meyers wrote:
But you certainly might choose otherwise depending on how you think of them and why you read them. You might even choose to create a new category of multinational (polynational?) authors--including also, say, Joseph Conrad, Michael Ondaatje, Eliot (of course), and many others. And Henry James, Henry Miller, Anais Nin, Patricia Highsmith. It is beginning to get very difficult. For the time being, I am classifying these last four as American. Francis A. Miniter |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
|
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Author's Edition: What is the meaning of that phrase? | buck | Books | 6 | April 30th 04 10:43 PM |
Old Classic Authors | Jerry Morris | Books | 2 | January 1st 04 08:52 PM |
[FAQ] rec.collecting.books FAQ | Mike Berro | Books | 0 | December 26th 03 08:18 PM |
Recommended Authors | Pw | Books | 6 | December 24th 03 12:14 AM |
The Canon as set by Authors Cards | Francis A. Miniter | Books | 1 | August 25th 03 03:16 AM |