©Brent Helquist
Lemony's absurdism pwns all book market preconceptions.
Without a doubt, despite all evidence for the marketability of delightful doom, this is still the most difficult concept to sell to agents, managers, publishers, and editors in the American YA and childrens' book market:
"In Lemony Snicket books, if there's ever a happy part, there's always a bad thing following, whereas in other books, it's usually a bad thing followed by a good thing," she says.
And yet:
That is exactly what Mrs Lee's daughter Alex, 9, likes about them.
And despite that agents, managers, publishers, and editors tell writers that kids and young adults don't want to read absurdist, dreary, gothic comedies, 51 million copies of an absurdist, dreary, gothic comedy have sold. It reminds me of when on ZIM, Jhonen was told by executives that kids don't like robots or speceships. You see, when presumptive humans are involved, the absurdist view is the only view that makes any sense in the universe.
Save me from intolerance of ambiguity.
-Rikki
(LiveJournal version of entry here: http://rikkisimons.livejournal.com/19025.html)
You know that Teenage Rebelliousness factor? Same principle. A lot of people tend to like stuff you don't. Figures!
Posted by: Jen Aside | October 13, 2006 at 10:34 PM
Zim, how I miss you and your misadventures with Gir, Dib, and the rest of the cast. Your series was too short-lived.
Stupid TV executives...
At least I have my boxset with tiny GIR figurine though :-)
Posted by: James Cooper | October 16, 2006 at 09:27 AM
Most people fail to realize how quickly children relinquish their need for sugarcoated false realities. The agents, managers, publishers, editors and almost every other adult seem to cling to the stereotypical view of childhood innocence when in reality children learn to appreciate dark humor at a very early age. Unfortunately, the disillusionment leads to the suffocation of several creative ideas, ex. Invader ZIM. I'm sad to say that I have no means of rescue at hand but if I'm struck by an epiphany any time soon, I'll let you know.
Posted by: Alexandrea Hebert | October 17, 2006 at 07:43 PM
Wait, kids don't like spaceships and aliens? That's like saying teens don't like angst!
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Posted by: Mark Vane | June 11, 2007 at 04:03 AM
This is so awesome. I think the idea that children are adverse to surrealist fiction is bull. This is what children thrive on. If you've ever sat through a "conversation" with a three year old, you will know that they have no imaginative boundaries. I have to take notes when I hear their stories because one minute the happy little cow will be gnawing on some grass, and the next he'll be in hot pursuit of a martian gangster, throwing lollipop grenades while his partner, the duck, gives him backseat driver navigation...and these little kids can follow that story line!!
If kids weren't drawn to the absurd, while would Roald Dahl have been so damned popular?
It is one of my life goals to remake Mary Poppins from the novel. None of this spoonful of sugar, dancing penguin, go fly a kite nonsense. I want the grittiness. I want the absurdity of the little old woman, with the gigantic daughters, who breaks off her fingers and gives them to the twins to suck on like candy. Some of my fondest memories growing up were of the stomach churning, gag-inducing stories my mother read to us (like the Grim fairy tales...mom didn't approve of Hans Christian Anderson).
I got to go to a signing for Lemony Snicket (although Lemony couldn't make it and sent his "lawyer" in his stead). I was just amazing at the amount of children between the ages of 3 and 7 swarming around his feet. They were like a flock of ducklings, following him around Borders. Yeah...what children really want is more books like Capt. Underpants and Everybody Poops...ick...gag me with a spoon. A spoon made of human bone dripping with wretched foul smelling cod liver oil...mmmm.
Speaking of absurd, Freakazoid! came out on dvd this week. Yay, HUGBEES!
Posted by: Aridawn | July 31, 2008 at 07:49 PM