The Story of the Novel
Nick of Plymouth Blog informs me of a new, four-part series called The Story of the Novel beginning on Saturday on Channel 4. Last Sunday the channel ran an appropriately unremarkable documentary on Philip Larkin, and even if the readings of the poems were annoyingly conversational, one has to be grateful for this sudden turnabout in its coverage.
But it looks like the story is of the English novel specifically, because the first episode begins with Robinson Crusoe. No mention of Rabelais or Cervantes then. This is further borne out by the news that the usual academic and literary suspects are the ones willing to submit themselves to the camera and the editor: AS Byatt, David Lodge, Claire Tomalin and, oh joy, John Carey. (Still, it'll be more stimulating than Big Brother 4. Off the Telly is fascinating in its analysis of this series' frustations and disappointments, and how it can be blamed on the producers).
As a footnote, I'm with Byatt with regard to Harry Potter. The infantilisation of adult culture is symptomatic of its growing conservatism, if not its decay. Decay is inevitable innit.
