What is better than curling up with a good book on a rainy Fall day and immersing yourself in a world that couldn't be more different from yours? For book lovers, probably nothing. Captivating stories, characters to love or hate, and immense joy or devastating heartbreak – that's what a truly good book should have.
And when there's something people feel passionate about, there's memes. Here we have a collection of funny posts from the Books of Brilliance Instagram page. If you like the smell of new and old books and the sound of pages turning, this list might be just for you!
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The Books of Brilliance page shares funny literary memes, but its creator also runs a blog of the same name. They cover everything from lists of celebrities' favorite books to reviews and exciting new book release announcements. Be sure to head down there if you're looking for good book recommendations or want some fun literary facts!
With its 172k followers, the page demonstrates that the written word is still very much alive and well. Especially print books: in 2023, sellers reported they sold 767.36 million physical copies in total! Some experts speculate that if we add e-books to the mix, publishers sell over 1 billion new books each year.
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The myth that people have stopped reading books or are reading less often is perpetuated by those who think this is a snob's hobby. Newsflash: books are books, no matter their genre. Sure, purists might prefer literary classics, but those who like romance novels are just as rightful bookworms as fans of Dickens.
Back in the day, people looked down on the fantasy genre, claiming it was not serious enough and silly (Asimov and Lovecraft would beg to differ, I think). But today, the Harry Potter series is the best-selling in history, many universities offer courses in Tolkien studies, and film studios are looking for the next "Game of Thrones" to make into a worldwide phenomenon.
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Only those who don't read might think that the literary world is boring. In reality, some juicy scandals used to rock the book world even in the olden times. Charles Dickens, for example, enshrined himself in the literary hall of shame when he dumped his wife of 20 years with whom he had 10 children and ran off with a 17-year-old actress, Ellen Ternan. Hollywood also made this story into a movie in 2013.
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In the many Shakespearean stories and speculations of who is the author of what, F. Scott Fitzgerald also has a scandal of his own. His wife accused him of plagiarizing, claiming that he copied entire passages from her letters and journals. "[He] seems to believe that plagiarism begins at home," Zelda once told a newspaper.
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And what about that time Bob Dylan lifted his Nobel lecture from SparkNotes? When the Swedish Academy awarded Dylan with a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, there was much contention already. Although he's authored a few poetry books, his contributions don't have much to do with literature, critics said. And then Dylan delivered his lecture on Moby Dick, which, literary critics noticed, sounded eerily similar to the SparkNotes summary.
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A more recent controversy concerns the author of the 2018 hit novel Where The Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens. Apparently, there are some similarities between the book's plot and an experience Owens had in Zambia. The incident, documented in a 1996 documentary on ABC, ended in an alleged poacher's passing. Some say that Owens' experience somewhat correlates with her heroine Kya getting accused of a similar crime in the book.
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Shakespeare is probably the most controversial and fascinating figure in literature. At this point, when we say "Shakespeare," who do we even mean? However, in 1796, a law clerk, William Henry Ireland, claimed he had found the lost Shakespeare papers. That included plays Henry II, Vortigern and Rowena, and a "Profession of Faith" where Shakespeare apparently came out as a Protestant. Unfortunately, it turned out Ireland forged them to impress his father.
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Not so much a scandal, but a juicy fact about the great novelist James Joyce is his love letters to his wife Nora Barnacle. Although today we know Joyce as the author of the juggernaut Ulysses and as one of the greatest writers of all time, his raunchy letters paint a slightly different picture. To this day, people perceive the letters as so vulgar that no publisher will print them.
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On the topic of love letters, there are also John Keats' letters to Fanny Brawne. Contrary to Joyce's, they're neither raunchy nor scandalous. They're pure, romantic, and even heartbreaking at times (and a must-read for any poetry lover), solidifying Keats' reputation as one of the most talented romantic (literally!) poets.
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But we're not here to talk about letters, so, book-loving Pandas, let us know what you think of these memes in the comments! And don't forget to upvote your favorites so we know which ones you liked best!
Also, share with us what you're reading at the moment; you might help a Panda or two who are currently in a reading slump!
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