One Woman's Trash, Another's Classic

There are few things I dislike more than someone telling everyone else that they "aren't allowed" to read/like a particular book. I encourage healthy debate about the merits of particular books, but just because you don't like the content doesn't mean that no one else is allowed to like it or that the book can't possibly be considered a classic or an important book.

This has come up because in a Classics book club I am part of, one of our members suggested Valley of the Dolls as a potential read. Another member went off on an entire rant about how that book is "filth" and that she is seriously considering leaving the book club if anyone could possibly consider it to be a classic. (She also kept throwing around the "as a former English teacher" and "none of my English teacher friends/collegues" phrases, too. As if she somehow has more authority over what can be considered a classic book simply because she taught about literary devices.)

If we were a club that had younger members (high school or lower) then I might agree that it is not a book that should be read by our club. However, that is because I do not want to expose younger people to content they may not be mature enough for or that their parents don't want them exposed to (if they are minors), not because the book "should not" be considered a classic. There are plenty of books that I would want to not be available in a school library that could still be considered classics. There are also plenty of books I wouldn't want in a school library that aren't classics.

If I'm totally honest, there are plenty of books out there that I don't want people reading. For instance, I don't want people, especially young people, reading 50 Shads of Grey. It is a book series that I believe glorifies an unhealthy and abusive relationship, covering that with lots of sex scenes. What you end up with is a female main character who continually makes excuses for the male lead's controling behavior because when he's nice he's REALLY nice and the sex is good.

And women everywhere have fallen in love with Christian Grey.

Especially if read too young, I do think this kind of book has the potential to skew a young woman's (or young man's) view of what a romantic relationship should look like. Not to mention the issue with the depiction of a BDSM situation, which leads to downright dangerous assumptions about consent in those interactions. (And, yes, I do understand that 50 Shades started as a Twilight fanfic and I do think Twilight has the exact same issues when it comes to romantic relationships, just without the horrendous depiction of what a BDSM situation looks like as well.)

However, even with everything I dislike about 50 Shades, I would never ban someone from reading it. I might strongly discourage it. If someone brought it up for a book club I'm in, I might skip that month. But I would not go on a rant about how no one should read it and I'll take my books and go home if this is how you're going to read.

The entire email she sent to the group felt like a little kid's temper tantrum.

Not to mention the fact that, after looking into what exactly Valley of the Dolls is about, I can fully understand why someone might consider it a classic.

Ultimately, it depends on your definition of a classic novel. For me, classics are books that have an impact on either society as a whole or on the genre they are in. Lord of the Rings is a classic fantasy because it had enormous cultural impact when it was published and because most fantasy books that have come after it have borrowed some aspect of it in their own world-building. Harry Potter practically defined a generation of readers, and continues to do so now. It is a classic work of fantasy as well. As much as I ultimately dislike the series, I would even admit that Twilight can be considered a modern classic (or at least might be considered one in the future) of vampire fiction. It was incredibly popular and did heavliy contribute to a rise in vampire fiction at the time (also aided, of course, but True Blood and The Vampire Diaries).

Valley of the Dolls I have not read, but it does seem to be one of those cultural touch points as the first book to really explore what women in the entertainment industry were going through to be successful. I'm actually interested in reading it because of that, even if I might prefer the content not be quite as explicit as it is. I think you can get across the horrors of a situation without being blatant about it. But also, again, I haven't actually read the book, so I don't know exactly how explicit it is. I only know what I read on Wikipedia.

But the point is, if you are an adult, read what you want. It's good to have debates with others about what you read. You can absolutely say "I really didn't like this book, but I understand why someone would consider it a classic or enjoy it."

You can also decline to read a book you know you aren't going to like. You can look at the reviews and realize that you are not going to be comfortable with the content or know that you don't like an author's writing style and you skip reading it. But don't tell other people they aren't allowed to read it.

Books are meant to give you a glimpse into someone else's life. You can choose whether or not to take that glimpse, but don't tell other people they aren't allowed to look.