"The Secret Life of Books"
They have their stratagems too, though they can't move.
They know their parts.
Like invalids long reconciled
To stillness, they do their work through others.
They have turned the world
To their own account by the twisting of hearts.
What do they have to say and how do they say it?
In the library
At night, or the sun room with its one
Curled thriller by the window, something
Is going on,
You may suspect, that you don't know of. Yet they
Need you. The time comes when you pick one up,
You who scoff
At determinism, the selfish gene.
Why this one? Look, already the blurb
Is drawing in
Some further text. The second paragraph
Calls for an atlas or a gazetteer;
That poem, spare
As a dead leaf's skeleton, coaxes
Your lexicon. Through you they speak
As through the sexes
A script is passed that lovers never hear.
They have you. In the end they have written you,
By the intrusion
Of their account of the world, so when
You come to think, to tell, to do,
You're caught between
Quotation marks, your heart's beat an allusion.
--Stephen Edgar from "Corrupted Treasures"
In the poem "The Secret Life of Books" by Stephen Edgar from a collection of poems titled "Corrupted Treasures", we are given the author's perspective of the purpose of books and literature. As the title suggests, there is something hidden below the superficial covers of books, a hidden agenda that we know nothing about. Through the use of similes, tone and personification, Edgar opens up the avenue of ambiguous interpretation since it is not clear if the books actively exercise a determined power over mankind.
In the first line of the first stanza, books are personified as having the ability to strategize, Edgar does this to make it seem like the books have both good and bad human characteristics. This will become more important later on when more human characteristics are introduced. "Like invalids long reconciled To stillnes...", a simile in reference to the first line which explains that "they can't move". Even though some people's lives may seem unimportant, they always affect and influence other people. So even if they can not move, it is still a possibility that others may learn through interaction. The reader gets the impression that the books and the knowledge they possess are timeless and everlasting. They use persuasion and seduction of human emotions to "[turn] the world To their own account". This is also personification to emphasize books are closely assimulated with human beings. This is because books are written by humans and therefore have the authors characteristics; however, this is not mentioned in the poem. The assumption here is that books either just come into existence or that they write themselves.
The second stanza also personifies books by stating they speak to us. Books say things through their morals. However, Edgar wants us to believe these books have human qualities. "In the library At night" portrays a sinister tone, in relation to the human quality of evilness. The books surround us and there is no escape from them. "the sun romm with its one" holds a pleasant, relaxed tone where a person can feel comfortable reading for pleasure. This paradox reinforces that books hold both good and evil characteristics. "Curled thriller" gives a dangerous but exciting tone and implies that even in a pleasant atmosphere, there can still be the underlying sinister vibe. "Something Is going on, You may suspect, that you don't know of." is a parallel of two viewpoints. The first being that this is an extension of the plotline for the thriller being read, but it is also the changes taking place inside the person reading the book.
By breaking the sentence "Yet they need you" from the second to the third stanza, Edgar is proving the truth of the statement by visualization. The sentence is not complete without the second half, the same way books cannot be complete or useful without someone to read them and absorb their ideas. "Scoff" portrays a tone of superiority, the attitude some non-book lovers hold. They believe themselves to be above reading books because they are simple and uncomplex. Even though these types of people exist, there is no escape from books. Eventually, the will become a reader by choice or by force, and the books will have a chance to accomplish their purpose. The question of "Why this one?" brings to light the theme of confusion. The theme is further enhanced by the word "blurb", and by the reader's necessity to do additional research to fully comprehend the novel. Without knowing the "further text" that is being referenced, it is necessary to research the meaning behind its inclusion. Edgar is stating that those who do not know books are lost and confused.
The separation of "The second paragraph Calls for an atlas" again displays visually how the second part completes the first. The paragraph cannot be understood without referencing other sources. A bookworm would find the words "gazetteer" and "lexicon" comprehendable, whereas a less than partial bookworm would find these words too complex for their limited vocabulary. These are examples of two viewpoints from which books are seen. This is also where other types of literature are introduced. "Paragraph" refers to books, but "poem" and "script" are also used, adding poetry and plays to the literature involved in shaping the world. Edgar uses imagery in "a dead leaf's skeleton" to portray how little can be seen from literature when viewed by a simpleton. Books speak through their readers because of the adoption of ideas and opinions represented in the books.
"Sexes" and "lovers" are both references to "the intrusion" which can be related to intercourse. This carried theme gives a smooth transition from the fourth stanza to the fifth stanza. The word "intrusion" makes it seem like this change was not voluntary but forced upon the readers. Our thoughts, words, and actions are not our own, but the literature speaking through us. It gives the image that books are parasites that attach themselves to readers in order to impose their ideas on the world. We become "caught" between different ideas from different areas of literature. Our own thoughts do not conflict with what we have read because none of the thoughts we have are our own, They all come from other books. The literature is personified in "they have written you". This brings the idea that what makes you unique is the result of what literature has taught you and sometimes that the books show your uniqueness as they tell your story. Being "written" gives the illusion that we have become that which we learned from. This allows other people to read us and learn from our experiences. So the personification of the books in the poem is the connection they have to us. "Your heart's beat an allusion" means your life is not the life you believe it to be. It is a mirage, a fake, because its not entirely yours but part of the literature.
This poem uses personification to compare our lives to the lives of books. People learn from experiences, whether someone else's or their own, whether alive or written. The similes allow for a better understanding to the purpose of books. Tone changes allow the reader to have feeling changes towards what is being read at the time. All literary devices represented in the poem are prefect examples of literature shaping us. Edgar wrote this poem to warn readers of the potential hazards of literature. Books have a way of brainwashing readers to believe whatever the author of the book wants you to believe. It is important to analyze what is being said instead of blindly accepting. There is also the question of balance between too much reading and too little. Too little results in unintelligence and ignorance. Too much results in accepting truth through anothers perspective and not experiencing events personally. Readers must be able to maintain a balance between these two extremes in order to receive the most out of life.
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