Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Sucking the Blood out of Literature
This entry is made up of notes I made this summer, and had planned to post, but then forgot about. Recently Dr Zen blogged about bad writing, and it reminded me of the notes.
For the rest of the post, please click here.
For the rest of the post, please click here.
Thomas 1:46 AM
6 Comments:
"my tarkovsky days are behind me, i'm afraid".
that's funny!
that's funny!
"I won't try your patience for much longer. I'll only give you the worst howlers."
Try my patience. I LOVED your critique of her book...so much so that I want to go out and buy it just to read the rest of her 'howlers'. I reluctantly read the Da Vinci code just to see what all the fuss was about and came to the conclusion that it was nothing more than an over-hyped beach novel. What irritated me most in that book was the supposed intelligence of the two main characters who were NEVER able to decipher the most simple clues immediately.
Most books become best-sellers these days not because of the quality of writing but because of the popularity of the subject and the ease with which PR pros can market it to the largest demographic group. Books like Kostova's and Brown's sell because they appeal to the same audience who prefers National Enquirer to the Economist.
Try my patience. I LOVED your critique of her book...so much so that I want to go out and buy it just to read the rest of her 'howlers'. I reluctantly read the Da Vinci code just to see what all the fuss was about and came to the conclusion that it was nothing more than an over-hyped beach novel. What irritated me most in that book was the supposed intelligence of the two main characters who were NEVER able to decipher the most simple clues immediately.
Most books become best-sellers these days not because of the quality of writing but because of the popularity of the subject and the ease with which PR pros can market it to the largest demographic group. Books like Kostova's and Brown's sell because they appeal to the same audience who prefers National Enquirer to the Economist.
Seawitch, don't go out and buy it. It's the worst kind of crap: expensive crap.
Pity. Vlad would be an interesting subject.
MFA: $50,000
Author's advance: $2,000,000
Moth-eaten towers: priceless!
Author's advance: $2,000,000
Moth-eaten towers: priceless!
Big call. I still think Da Vinci Code was worse - it made me laugh out loud many times. I would have thrown it across the room, except it was 3am on a plane over the Indian Ocean, and it was a choice between Da Vinci Code and a Vin Diesel movie. I think I made the wrong decision.
But this is a terrific reading and critique of The Historian.
"Something about it" makes me very nervous, so now I have to go check every adverb I've ever used. Thanks.
But this is a terrific reading and critique of The Historian.
"Something about it" makes me very nervous, so now I have to go check every adverb I've ever used. Thanks.