Wednesday, January 09, 2008

So when silence isn't necessarily golden- it might just be grumpy. And not feel like sharing.

It happens in the best of families, but probably occurs more frequently in the worst of families.

And that's why we hate Dickens. Too simple. The decision last night was that if he were writing today, he would be another Jerry Bruckheimer. No nuance, only action. And very simple messages. Ah, but knowing the audience- priceless, no? But seriously, the consistent and simply gratuitous use of coincidence? Come on.

And that's why we love Dostoevsky. Plenty of nuance there. And ambiguity. And the message might be blazing red hot obvious, but then again, maybe not. But definitely not an action hero kind of guy.

And we love Fitzgerald. And we love Capote. And we love Maugham.

This was all part of a discussion last night. Before going to sleep. Because when is there ever a better time to talk literature?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

yes yes yesss!!!
if Dickens were writing to-day, he'd be friggin John Irving. Or yea, Jerry Bruckheimer...great comparison.
Agree on the Dosty tip; and don't forget...he was SERIALIZED, so he had to drag out the mothas, and STILL wrote so dynamically. i remember when i first read "Notes from the Underground" i knew i'd be finished as a (wanna-be) writer. the only thing that's kept me going was the fact that i couldn't shoot people...you know in general. well, i could but then i'd be marching to the gallows--not that there's anything wrong with that, but i'd rather participate in my own demise--little by little. longevity and atrophy is the best policy

Anonymous said...

sorry...ARE the best POLICIES.

slyboots2 said...

Viva the entropy. It happens. Ask my tendons.

Yeah- I have been re-reading Crime & Punishment- for the third time- and am amazed by what he was pulling off. It's like some kind of high wire act. Proust does it too- only with a shit-ton more words. And right now I lack the requisite patience. But C & P is something special.

Anonymous said...

Viva Raskolnikov!