Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float

Schmelling, Sarah. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebok. ISBN-10: 0452295734, ISBN-13: 9780452295735. Plume Books. 2009.

Summary
It's taken them awhile, but now some of literature's favorite authors and characters have signed-on to the social network Facebook. Sarah Schmelling has taken classic novels and converted them to Facebook feeds to bring some of the most loved stories into the 21st century. And hilarity ensues.

Critical Evaluation
Sarah Schmelling has taken classics to a new humorous levels by bringing together authors like William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and Jack Kerouac; literature (The Canterbury Tales to Lolita) and a wide range of classic charcters—Hester Pryne, Puck and Scarlett O'Hara to Facebook. Stories are retold on news feeds, groups are joined and heckling occurs through status updates. I think this is the just the beginning for Facebook-themed books. Anyone who is on Facebook and has a basic understanding of the classics will see the humor, but older, well-read teens will really enjoy the book.

Reader's Annotation
What will happen when all of the classic characters and authors sign-on to Facebook and talk about stories from Beowulf to Catcher in the Rye?

About the Author
Sarah Schmelling is a journalist that is known for her writing about pop culture and entertainment, and has been published in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, Real Simple, and The Huffington Post. It was in McSweeney's Internet Tendencies that "Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)" was first published. The wife and mom lives in a Washington D.C. suburb, and this is her first book.

Genre
Non-fiction
Popular Culture

Curriculum Ties
English: to better understand the humor of the book, read the actual novels and plays

Booktalking Ideas
What do you think William Shakespeare would say if he were alive today and was on Facebook…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 16+

Why I included this title...
As a holder of a degree in literature and a Facebook junkie—it was a no brainer!

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