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Harper Lee has died

nytimes.com

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Re: Harper Lee has died

#51

Post by runevault »

therealdrag0 wrote: post #46
petepete wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"

I think it's a bummer that all the popular fantasy is not the best writing. (I do quite enjoy GRRM and Abercrombie.) Are there any, may lesser known, fantasy that is more literary?

Check out Guy Gavriel Kay. He's go a bit of a poet's background and writes utterly heart wrenching prose.

Can start most anywhere with him, but I'd recommend Tigana, Lions of al'Rassan, or Under Heaven as great starting points.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#52

Post by hullo »

therealdrag0 wrote: post #46
petepete wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"

I think it's a bummer that all the popular fantasy is not the best writing. (I do quite enjoy GRRM and Abercrombie.) Are there any, may lesser known, fantasy that is more literary?

Gene Wolfe (Book of the New Sun) is great and a common recommendation along these lines.

Ishiguro's The Buried Giant from last year asks to be described as Literary Fiction with a fantasy setting.

But chasing down "If you liked Gene Wolfe you might like.." recommendations online would probably be fruitful.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#53

Post by Jtsummers »

baddox wrote: post #48
petepete wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"

I find it odd that people would think a great story that's written down isn't by definition a great piece of writing.

It may be a great story, but lack good characterization or dialog, overcoming those weaknesses through some other factors of the writing and storytelling. Hackneyed dialog, two-dimensional characters, but an intriguing setting and plot, for instance. A lot of pulpy novels are great, fun stories, but few are great pieces of writing as well.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#54

Post by duaneb »

dvt wrote: post #39
3minus1 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer George R.R. Martin “Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?' 'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”

Not trying to be some literature snob, but GRRM can't hold a candle to the profound impact Harper Lee has had on American culture as a whole (not to mention that she won a Pulitzer and a Presidential Freedom Medal). It's almost insulting even bringing up a quote from ASOIAF.

I don't see anyone arguing he is a better writer or had more influence. Where did this come from?

Re: Harper Lee has died

#55

Post by padobson »

Atticus Finch is maybe the greatest character in American literature.

His courage in standing against racial injustice is notable, but the true depth of the character comes from his quiet strength and his unabashed dedication to his family and his fellow man.

He's always there for his children, tucking them in at night and encouraging them to be good to each other and their neighbors. He's always ready to impart wisdom and morality upon them in the most gentle manner.

But still there's that quiet strength, as in the scene when he shoots the rabid dog. Watching the scene through Scout's eyes, a powerful figure comes alive in the person of Atticus for the first time - showing us that a strong man is prepared to stand up both against moral and physical oppression.

As role models go, you could do a lot worse than Atticus Finch.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#56

Post by bfrancom01 »

I couldn't stand most of the books I had to read in high school, especially To Kill a Mockingbird. Others included The Great Gatsby, & Lord of the Flies. All awful books IMO, & still dreadfully awful. I can't believe American culture thought (still thinks?) those books were good. Luckily I read books that I liked on the side to make up for it.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#57

Post by jackbravo »

haberman wrote: post #13

I loved "To Kill a Mockingbird" so much when I read it as a kid. The moral of the story seemed really obvious. In the last few years I came across this article which blew my mind and changed my perspective about the book's meaning a lot: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/10/the-courthouse-...

What a great article. I specially liked this bit:

Orwell didn’t think that Dickens should have written different novels; he loved Dickens. But he understood that Dickens bore the ideological marks of his time and place. His class did not see the English social order as tyrannical, worthy of being overthrown. Dickens thought that large contradictions could be tamed through small moments of justice. He believed in the power of changing hearts, and that’s what you believe in, Orwell says, if you “do not wish to endanger the status quo.”

Re: Harper Lee has died

#58

Post by CaiGengYang »

Great book by a legendary author ---- I still remember I had to read the book during my secondary school days for my literature classes and we were tested on the material in the book during our finals. I really enjoyed the book (very poignant ending) and I would read the book multiple again and again during my free time.

A timeless storybook about bravery and courage in the face of blatant racism and discrimination. As a society, we should work towards ending racism and discrimination in all spheres and this book will surely play a part towards this goal ...

Re: Harper Lee has died

#59

Post by serf »

baddox wrote: post #48
petepete wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"

I find it odd that people would think a great story that's written down isn't by definition a great piece of writing.

Storytelling uses any avenue possible to express the story.

Shamans dance around a fire, play-actors get on stage, Film directors use CGI , actors, puppets, sets, and so on.

A writer writes. A good writer uses all of the tricks available to them that their language provides and is capable of doing so in a consistent manner to create their own written voice.

'To Kill a Mockingbird' was both well-written and a good story; the social impact it created reflects that.

I've read plenty of works that are either exclusively well-written, or exclusively a good story. It's not rare.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#60

Post by drhayes9 »

therealdrag0 wrote: post #46
petepete wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not snobby in the slightest. A friend put it best: "George RR Martin is a great storyteller, but he's no great writer"

I think it's a bummer that all the popular fantasy is not the best writing. (I do quite enjoy GRRM and Abercrombie.) Are there any, may lesser known, fantasy that is more literary?

I second the Gene Wolf recommendation.

Huge fan of China Mieville, but that's closer to "new weird" than "fantasy". Mieville's books are complex and gripping.

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