Column Chronicles: Literary misinterpretations were violent

Literary misinterpretations were violent

Frank Cotolo
August 20, 2026

Classic books through the ages are the subjects of various criticism and numerous interpretations. These conflicts of insight and meaning grow into outrageous conflicts between critics. Here are some facts about those conflicts.

MOBY DICK

Newspaper critic Elmo Slashedd loved Melville's novel. He wrote: "The whale. Of course. It is a symbol of symbolism itself. Big and bulky and a mammal of all things. Mammal verses Mammal is the utter conflict of humanity."

Slashedd's contemporary, Cliff Fawler, disagreed and wrote: "Elmo Shmelmo. He has Melville's book all wrong. Ishmael is a symbol of the sea itself and the whale is his nemesis. And by nemesis I mean the caustic approach of anger in man's contempt for the aquarian life forms."

Cliff and Elmo met only once after their reviews were published. While discussing their conflicting opinions it was Cliff who pulled a weapon. Elmo was prepared with his own weapon. The talk turned to bloodshed. They both survived with more hatred than before.

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Duncan Keenworth was an editor for Dickens' work. He admitted he was jealous of the author but no one thought his jealousy could ignite violence towards Dickens. Keenworth sabatoged the initial printing of Dickens' book by changing the tense of the narrative back and forth from past to present to future. Dickens read the draft and confronted his editor. Keenworth greeted him with a homemade cannon that he fired at the author. Dickens survived and Keenworth left for Sweden and was never heard from again.

TROPIC OF CANCER

Henry Miller's controversial monologue was destroyed by popular literary critics. One was Ipso Facto who himself was a poet. He made a public statement that Miller's book is "an owl with perpendicular paragraphs and testicle wisdom." Miller responded by saying, "If he says so."

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.