Samantha Sidi ’16

Arts and Entertainment Editor

After a 55-year hiatus from the literary world, Harper Lee has announced the publication of her rediscovered original novel, Go Set a Watchman. The book, which observers have described as similar to a sequel to her infamous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place 20 years after and is set in the same fictional town, Maycomb, Alabama, where Scout returns to visit her father. The novel similarly discusses social injustice by tackling the racial tensions in the 1950’s South. Additionally, the plot deals with the complex relationship between father and daughter by incorporating flashbacks to Scout’s childhood, which inspired To Kill a Mockingbird.

This announcement was unusual and surprising because of Harper Lee’s fervent attempt to stay away from the public’s eye and continue to protect the literary legacy left by To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee was apparently encouraged by a small selection of people to publish the book, which will appear in all bookstores this July.

The literary world has probed the question of how this new novel will affect her classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee has always found the publicity around her novel to be overwhelming and has claimed that she has written all she has to say with just the one book, despite the pleas from readers for more. Some feel that the amateur nature of the writing — her editor had advised Lee to develop the flashbacks to Scout’s childhood in order to create the final draft of To Kill a Mockingbird — would take away the literary merit of the first book by exposing Lee’s flaws as a writer, while others welcome the opportunity to revisit Scout and Maycomb. Ultimately, these conflicting ideas about the new novel demonstrate how literary classics are put on a pedestal.

The Newark Academy literary community has weighed in on the issue enthusiastically. Sheila Vazir ’16 warns, “The anticipation for the upcoming novel may take away from the actual writing because of the expectations.” On the contrary, Dr. De Santa said, “I think that if readers approach Watchman with an understanding of and respect for what it is — that is, essentially a rough draft of Mockingbird that Lee reworked considerably — it could prove an enlightening glimpse into the writing and revision process of a famous author. I’d be intrigued to learn what final editing choices Lee and her publishers made to craft Mockingbird into what it is. But I also believe that regardless of the new publication, To Kill a Mockingbird will always stand as a classic unto itself.” With these opinions in mind, the Newark Academy community should go and buy the novel and decide for themselves.