Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
And why shouldn't the lowest common denominator be catered to? Since the printing press was invented, people have been selling books to the lowest common denominator.
But this isn't the lowest common denominator, that would be considerably lower. No one is taking away Jane Austen in the original. This is a tempest in a teaspoon.
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They should be served, just like any other aspect of the reading public - but not catered to. Dumbing-down classics just because some folks don't want to take the time and effort to appreciate and learn a writing style, or to learn a bit of history or about society from an earlier age does them a disservice because it is spoon-feeding them pablum.
As much as I'd like to read "Ivanhoe", I just can't get into that book. But if someone rewrites it so that I can breeze through it, they aren't doing me any favors, because I'm not experiencing the author's words or voice. I'm merely reading story; they are removing the other dimensions of the work. Sort of like eating an entree that is missing the umami.
Classics Illustrated is a completely different thing. That is a transformation into a new medium.