Through looking at the epitext (i.e. book reviews) of The Diary of a Young Girl, we as scholars are able to ‘determine how audiences cluster at a particular historical moment around particular kinds of narrative’ (Smith & Watson 101).
The first version of Anne Frank’s diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, was published in 1947. A new version was published in 1995 with the title The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. The definitive edition contains more material, such as Frank’s curiosity and excitement about sex – all of which were removed by Otto Frank (Anne’s father) in the original.
In 2009, Culpeper County Public Schools in Virginia decided to stop assigning the definitive edition of The Diary of a Young Girl to its students, due to it not being suitable for schoolchildren. In her review of the book, Nathalie Rothschild, an International Correspondent for Spiked Review, describes the Public Schools’ decision as backwards and “daft”, as she believes such realistic instances in Anne’s life won’t turn children into “sexual beasts”. Instead, it will (as it did for her) captivate teenagers even more – what is seen as inappropriate is in fact “all the stuff of teenage life.”
Additionally, a review written by Obsidian Blue (Obsidian Black Death), a blogger on the popular website Booklikes also gives positive feedback on the raw and uncompromising portrait of Frank in the definitive edition. Blue found Frank’s candidness in her anxiety and constant fights she had with her mom as relatable – “She felt more real to me in this version than she did in the version I had read decades ago.”
What’s more, a review from Amazon, the largest internet-based retailer in the world, explains why the definitive version is a good read (given 4.6/5 stars) by saying, “Anne emerges as more real, more human, and more vital than ever.” Once again, emphasizing the significance of the strong connection readers feel towards Frank through the definitive edition.
By the time Amazon existed both editions were made available to the public, however the definitive edition (ranked#349,229) had a drastically higher number of sales than the critical edition (ranked #1,092,138). This could be due to the fact that the authenticity was believed to be higher in the definitive edition – the audience craved a sense of connection with Frank.
Furthermore, since these two editions were published more than a decade apart, there could be a relationship with the time period and the consumer appeal in a life narrative. Therefore, to answer Whitlock’s question, a life narrative becomes a best seller by strategically engaging with the audience of a specific time period. Since we are currently living in a less rigid time where (in a life-narrative) one’s flaw is seen as an asset instead of a liability, it is no surprise that reviews such as Blue’s, stating how Frank’s not a “sweet little girl” but was at times “moody” and “self-centered” boosted sales – due to the idea that perfect is boring and non-relatable.
Being able to interpret this through using the epitext is important to us as scholars as “we can more carefully specify how readerly audiences are shaped and changed both historically and in this moment of global capital” (Smith & Watson 102). In other words, through reviews, we can get a clearer sense of what readers in different time periods yearn for in a life narrative – explains why books are best-sellers and why they’re republished.
Works cited:
Rothschild, Nathalie “Stop Perverting Anne Frank’s Diary.” Spiked. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
Blue, Obsidian “The Real Anne Frank – Obsidian Black Death.” Booklikes. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2016.
“The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition – Kindle Edition”. Amazon. Web. 06 Oct. 2016
Frank, Anne, Otto Frank, Mirjam Pressler, and Susan Massotty. The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Smith, Sidonie, and Julia Watson. Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives. Minneapolis: U of Minnesota, 2010. Print.