Random Observation

[unforth]

It vaguely horrifies me to notice that 4 times as many LibraryThing users own "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" than own "Hamlet."

Comments

[teleidoplex]

To be fair, a lot of people probably have their Hamlet in a Complete Works. For instance, I have probably four or five copies of Hamlet in various forms because plays usually come collected.

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know, and also in volumes of "4 tragedies," etc., and the numbers I have definitely wouldn't reflect that. But it still causes me pain.

[kniedzw.livejournal.com]

Yep. Riverside accounts for another 3000, bringing it up to about half the HPatSC numbers. ...but when you look at the other likely "complete works" (including the Norton Shakespeare and the Norton Anthology of English Literature), I'd estimate only another 1000 copies at most. ...which means that we're still in the 2:1 ratio of Harry to Hamlet.

That said, LibraryThing may not be representative of most readers. Unfortunately, I think they're skewed toward Shakespeare.

I must admit to be vaguely horrified as well. :)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Even if you toss in volumes of all the tragedies, or the mini anthologies that include Hamlet, a scan of the list only adds another couple hundred.

[gilded-ygdrasil.livejournal.com]

Alas, poor Snape. I knew him Ron....

[unforth.livejournal.com]

A man of infinite fancy, was he?

[schenker28.livejournal.com]

Oh no! Your post finally made me start a LibraryThing account...

http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=schenker28

What's with the 200 books limit for the free account though? I put in 50 books in just a few minutes from memory, without looking at the bookshelves....

[unforth.livejournal.com]

I do love me some LibraryThing. I ended up just paying them the $25, it was worth it to me. :)

[squishymeister.livejournal.com]

why should that surprise you? I mean, yes, Shakespeare is super classic, and folks who are well read should all read it and stuff. (all of this being said, i have no idea what "LibraryThing" is, so I might just be showing my stupid) but as far as something being user friendly and readable? Harry Potter is much better suited for the majority of readers out there. I will admit, if I had to choose a book to read in my spare time, I'd probably pick Harry Potter, it doesn't hurt my brain as much. Even though I do love Shakespeare very much (but I prefere to see them than to read them)

[unforth.livejournal.com]

Well, for one thing, Hamlet is 400 years old, and Harry Potter is about 10 years old. There's a lot more TIME for people to obtain copies of Hamlet. Also, Hamlet is often a school book, and therefore a lot of people would presumably have copies. And, hm, there might be the fact that, in my opinion, Hamlet is the greatest play ever written, while Harry Potter, while amusing, is most definitely not the greatest anything ever written.

I don't know; if someone told me that I was going to a desert island, and I could have ONE of those two books and no other book, I would choose Hamlet without a moments hesitation. Then again, I have a very high opinion of Hamlet.

[squishymeister.livejournal.com]

400 years old...and just how many hundreds of years ago did "the people" start collecting works of literature? The general population, I mean.

Very few schools actually make students purchase a copy of books they read, they are usually in a huge text book, or the library has copies. The wealth is not out there for most students to afford that kind of spending, and how many of those students are actually going to "fall in love" with Hamlet and go buy their own after reading it in school? Some, yes. But definitely not the majority.

Hamlet might be the greatest play ever written, but in that sentence lies your problem, it's your opionion, which does not necessarily reflect the general public. And it doesn't matter if it's a great work of art, and the cultural significance and yadda yadda. That's your academic elitism...most people do not have a high enough reading level to get anything but frustration out of reading Shakespeare, no matter how masterful it is. Harry Potter is easy, and entertaining, and does not require a whole lot of schooling or smarts to enjoy.

No offense, you should be proud that you are one of the small percent of Americans who have been gifted with being able to feel the way you do about Hamlet. I guess I just live outside of the academic bubble and can freely admit that we are not a country full of geniuses.

And for the record, I too love Shakespeare...it's just I'm trying to see it from a broader view than my own feelings on the work.