The Bestselling Novel: Currents in American History and Culture

Bending Genres in Kindred

The novel Kindred by Octavia Butler uses the concept of time travel to address issues of slavery, identity, and race. The author blended contemporary styles of writing that kept the readers hooked, with serious themes. I found that addressing those serious themes through a “young” style of writing made the issues easier to grasp and relate to. For example, with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it was very easy to lose interest in the text and to find it really difficult to read (not only because of the language, but because of the narration style), while Kindred is a page turner and cannot be put down. The stark difference in my reading experiences between these two books is an issue of Bestsellerism. Bestsellerisim trends vary according to popular culture, while UTC was a huge success and the time of publication, it cannot draw the interest of the contemporary reader. What played a factor in Kinderd becoming a bestseller is blending genres, as with the example of Gone Girl.

The author is trying to bring attention to how the history of slavery still haunts modern Americans and that they shouldn’t wash their hands from the past. Dana's attitude pre-time travel was more like “it is in the past and it doesn’t affect me”, which is a modern view on the issue. Her experience in the past was necessary for her to claim an identity and to serve as a reminder. The fact that the book contrasts the two attitudes bluntly shocks readers into the realizing how serious the issue is. Because the book opens up conversations about outlook on race, which is a significant issue that appeals to a large mass of readers, it is attactive to them. 

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