Booksology A daily summary of literary headlines at the intersection of today’s books, books, politics, culture, media and more.
How Great Gatsby took over high school
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Great Gatsby’s publications, so I’ve heard about it consistently throughout the year (as the year has passed since BR Properties). Alexander Manschel examines how the presence of the great Gatsby in the high school curriculum was a fundamental component of book endurance. Fitzgerald himself died before Gatsby became Gatsbyand the power that came together to make it an iconic work of American literature that is today, not even plausible, from the vantage point of 1940. A great work.
Amazon pins price rise with Trump tariffs on product page
One of the hard-earned things the Biden/Harris administration learned (as there are countless others before him): You don’t want to be the person in charge of a higher price. And if you have created your name and market share by offering cheap products, many of them (most?) come from overseas and you really want to be clear that more expensive airpods and fast fashion are yours, not yours. According to sources cited by Punchbowl News, Amazon plans to show that the price of the item on the product page next to the price is the result of customs duties. courage.
John Lithgow was surprised by Dumbledore’s casting blowback
John Lithgow’s casting as Albus Dumbledore is perhaps the fourth most important role in the reboot of HBO’s Harry Potter. And Lithgow himself said when the news broke that it was not only the last major role he would play, but perhaps the first line of his bio. One thing he didn’t expect was that not everyone was excited to see him play the role. Danica Ellis wrote this open letter to Lithgow, urging him to reconsider, taking into account how the Harry Potter franchise is currently intertwined. This letter clearly returned to Lithgow himself through a friend with a trans child. And rather than reflecting or acknowledging that he could understand this, he replied:
“I wonder, ‘Why is this a factor at all?’ How did JK Rowling absorb it? As to whether criticism exacerbated his role, Lithgow replied, “Ah, heaven no.”
But perhaps Lithgow will listen and consider him even if he does not withdraw from production. He may be, and this could be an even stronger statement, and he is openly defending trans kids. This same article suggests that agreement with Rowling does not seem to be a factor in bringing together the production.
Meanwhile, Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max, claims that Harry Potter’s television shows “doesn’t feel an impact” from Rowling’s anti-transgender views, and that “it hasn’t affected the casting and employment of writers and production staff.”
A literary grit that has been simmered for over 10 years
Our own Rebecca Sinky finally got an older literary grim of over a decade from her breasts. And that’s what I share.
