I really hope that the literary mark of our lifetime won’t involve vampires or wizards.
I enjoyed reading the Harry Potter book series immensely and feel that the draw they created to get young people reading is important. While I’m not a particular fan of anything to do with vampires falling in love with non-vampires and werewolves who get mixed up in all of it, there can be no doubt that reading something is better than reading nothing.
But what will the names of those whose words leave an impact on the world be for our generation?
Names like Poe, Twain, Dickens, Hemingway, Austen, King, Dickinson are all hailed as great writers immortalized in the pages.
When J.D. Salinger died a few weeks ago media outlets were abuzz as writers spoke about his work and how his writing impacted society.
But can Nora Roberts, J.K. Rowling or Stephenie Meyer be the best we have to offer? Not that their work doesn’t deserve recognition, but compared to Dickens and Hemingway I have a difficult time seeing an equal level of greatness.
Of course there is always the chance that the great author of our time isn’t yet known or could be a non-traditional type of writer.
Talking about authors is the hobby of snobby elitists and literature professors, but reading books, not blogs or text messages, is one of the key components in what makes a society’s citizens think.
The faceless heroes that somehow manage to transport us to different worlds, say exactly what we think, and make us love or hate people that don’t really exist are responsible for shaping our imagination.
I’m sure Edward Cullen is a great guy, but he can’t stand against Holden Caufield.