Comments | redscharlach: And The Children Shall Lead, And The Squiggly Handwriting Shall Follow

redscharlach

And The Children Shall Lead, And The Squiggly Handwriting Shall Follow

Jul 19, 2009 23:04

If you've bought any reading matter lately, you may have noticed that many bookshops now house a specialist section devoted to true-life tales of people who had really appalling childhoods. The sign on the shelves is usually something like "Tragic Life Stories" or "Painful Lives", but I believe the genre is known in the trade as "misery lit" or " ( Read more... )

literature, fan art, star trek

Comments 45

jeanne_dark July 19 2009, 22:30:08 UTC

I would read both those books.

Also, I can't stop giggling at "A. G. Q. Vulcan".

caledonius72 July 19 2009, 22:30:13 UTC

Captial idea, and I completely agree. Makes me shudder when i see the tables loaded with them when i walk into Waterstones or Borders. Let me just say "Fahrenheit 451"

Suggestions
Guess! Go on guess! I dare ya!

Plus: -
Fanny Price (Mansfield Park)
Hercule Poirot - there has to be a reason for that bag of neuroses.

artekka July 20 2009, 02:59:07 UTC

except fanny price would prob never write one of these books b/c she'd be so grateful to the bertrams, and wouldn't want to be meant to mrs norris...

i'm on a mansfield park kick right now.

clancy_s July 19 2009, 22:42:20 UTC

*actually laughed out loud*

alkari July 19 2009, 22:44:23 UTC

Excellent suggestions. How about:-

Han Solo - there has to be a reason he was wandering round the universe with only a Wookie for company

Inspector Morse - the man had some Serious Issues with his first name, but didn't even bother changing it when he reached adulthood

Lord Peter Wimsey - angst in a wealthy, noble family. His mother only came to love him when he left home.

gregoria44 July 19 2009, 22:47:06 UTC

Indeed, us booksellers do call them 'misery memoirs'... that is, when we are being polite.

"Make your own table headers," we were foolishly told. Much sniggering later, the result was so dull that I can't even remember what we went for, but still, the process was fun.

redscharlach July 20 2009, 12:48:29 UTC

Yes, I can see lots of potential fun in thinking of headings, and lots of disappointment when all the best ideas are too potentially offensive for public consumption. I'd have been tempted to go with: "Maybe They Were Born To Pastel-Coloured Misery, Maybe It's Maybelline."