We all love a literary based drama show, right? The likes of Sherlock and Dickensian normally send book lovers into a frenzy of excitement about seeing much loved characters come to life in a new way. But is this becoming detrimental to our desire to read these books when it is so easily accessible to us on BBC. Now I know this may seem like the age old argument of book vs film etc. but I see it as something quite different from that.
Personally; I love the Dickensian but I have also read a few of the books concerned with the shows. I can't attest to reading everything by Dickens but I have dabbled with certain books and would like to think I know my fair share. But watching Dickensian seems to warp my view slightly, because a lot of what is happening is a prequel to the books in question you then start to empathise with the characters and how they are portrayed in the books themselves which was not the authors intent. I haven't read a Dickens book since watching the show but I seem to have a fear that now that when I read these books it just won't be the same any more. That in the back of my mind I will have the plots and characters from the show running around shouting “we exist too, don't forget about us” which is terrifying and infuriating.
Another I wanted to touch on was the TV adaptation of War and Peace. Now I have not watched the show and haven't read the book as, to be honest, I really can't be bothered. This seems to be the case with most British people and I discovered this in a recent YouGov poll (link provided below) that was brought to my attention. The poll suggests that War and Peace is the book most Brits would like to read if they had the time and/or patients to do so.
So with it being top of that list (and a honking long book to boot) does that mean that because of these shows that people are less likely to now read the book they apparently want to read so much or more likely because they have got a feel for it? It is my understanding that the TV show has been “sexed up” to some extent making it more accessible and less of a political manifesto than the book. This worries me somewhat; let's just say that more people do go and read the book, a lot of fans of the show will then be running around shouting about how much is not in the book or how boring it is which is enough to make any book lover sad. But on the other hand if it means less people read the book than before the show that isn't helping either.
In all honesty I am stuck, I like the shows themselves and love that classic literature is being brought back to life but at the same time, I want people to read! There is nothing more crushing then engaging in a discussion with someone about a book and their response is “ooo don't tell me I haven't watched that episode yet”. There is also nothing more rewarding than constructing the universe in your own head with your own imagination and letting it run wild.
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Happy Sunday,
The A.O team.
YouGov poll link: https://yougov.co.uk/news/2016/01/20/war-and-peace-tops-britains-classic-fiction-wishli/?utm_content=buffer17944&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer