To Mock a Killing Bird
16th February 2016
Kathy Shaidle is delightfully dyspeptic today.
I’ve never read To Kill a Mockingbird.
I was going to add, “because I’m Canadian, duh,” but while researching this piece, I learned that Lee’s 1960 novel had long been required reading in British schools—and when it was dumped from the curriculum two years ago, there was a massive freak-out. Hey, England, you have a bunch of your own writers, no? Ah, yes, but Mockingbird’s “otherness” was clearly part of its rather twisted allure across the pond:
The South is an incredibly complex place, but there are British-held stereotypes about its attitude to race and class that this novel could reinforce, and even add to its appeal.
Translation: “American rednecks are evil, stupid, and funny!”