The Oprah Chilling Effect

An article by New Republic columnist Hillary Kelly laments some of the impact Oprah Winfrey has on literature. Particularly when Oprah delves (rarely) into the classics. In December she chose two Dickens classics, Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities as books to cozy up with with hot chocolate, reading by the fire. A quaint scene for sure. The problem is, she hadn't read them when she boasted her recommendations in that typical "scale-climbing voice." Kelly's critique is that "she has asked millions of people to follow her into some of the more difficult [and dark] prose to come out of the nineteenth century - prose she knows nothing about." With angst of an English teacher her choice and influence with regards to these two titles provides "no real guidance" to readers who "cannot grow into lovers of the canon."