the_literary_spider | Entries tagged with books

The nerve! I was listening to Radio 4, and they were lamenting the lack of decent books for up to 12 year olds. As per usual, Twilight was being slandered, and they were blaming the current kids book drought upon it, because it was causing authors to write floods of supernatural romance for teens. This I can deal with, because I myself am tired of the many mary-sue's and their moping boyfriends. But then, something was said that I found most annoying. One author on the program said she was horrified that kids were reading Twilight and The Hunger Games at10 or 11 years because they were blatantly and disgustingly age-inappropriate.

I'm sorry, what?! You think it is bad that children of 11 are reading the Hunger Games. I'm sorry, but at 11 me and all my friends had read things like 1984, which has a very similar dystopian premise and decidedly more inappropriate-ness. yet no-one bats an eyelid at this because it's a classic. It's like how many people do not object to kids reading Lolita, because it is a classic. Lord of the flies is a classic, and that has some very "innapropriate" things also. I think the whole issue is full of double-standards, depending on the books place in history.

Also, to all of you bookish people. When talking about how the standards of teen fiction have fallen, please don't talk about Twilight and The Hunger Games interchangeably. They are barely any similarities beside target audience, and one is considerably more well-written than the other.

/endrant

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Eight-leggedly Yours
The Literary Spider

Hello all,

Attended a showing of The Hunger Games film the other day, and I thought I would share my all-important opinion (Note: that was intended as irony) From Haymitch to Rue and back again it was a great show, so here are my two cents...

Haymitch and Katniss were cast perfectly. From the start you could see the fragmented, distant relationship between Prim, her mother and her sister, even if you hadn't read the books. The reaping reminded one of The Lottery, a short dystopian story that can be read here, complete with a dismal yet clinical atmosphere captured beautifully by Gary Ross. Even the slow evolution that was Effie's un-likability was portrayed brilliantly and with humor, without the seriousness and relevance of the story being lost.

Another artfully composed scene was the one in which *SPOILER ALERT* Rues tragic death occurred. So carefully done was this part that even the most dry-eyed haters (Both the tributes who thought the adaptation was sacrilege and the film buffs who said shaky camera angles and hallucination scenes were oh-so cliche) were moved to tears. The games themselves were awe-inspiring, and inspired total immersion, as well as highlighting at least several hundred ships that fan-girls will be drooling over until at least the next movie.

My only criticism was that of Gales casting. I thought he didn't match up to the books, and the his fractured, introverted, angry personality didn't exactly come through. I suppose though that is personal opinion, just as some wished for a Kristen Stewart Katniss or a Daniel Radcliffe Peeta. So in conclusion, this is a film for tributes and non-tributes alike, especially those who wish to talk with inflated self-importance of "The relevance of a dystopian film in a doomed economy era"....

Eight-Leggedly Yours,

The Literary Spider,

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