141–150 of 176 posts
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I find it odd that people would think a great story that's written down isn't by definition a great piece of writing.
Here's a hint: if it's science fiction or fantasy, it's probably not considered 'great literature'. Having everyone die in the end is bonus points for 'great writing'.
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Here's a hint: if it's science fiction or fantasy, it's probably not considered 'great literature'. Having everyone die in the end is bonus points for 'great writing'.
I mean, it's only one example, but Lord of the Rings?
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Tolkien is dreck. There I said it. It took my over a year to read Fellowship of the Ring because of how indescribably boring it is.
Can you suggest some readings, stuff you found especially enjoyable? (I ask because you're my favorite writer on HN, and am curious as to what things influenced you)
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Then there was this one: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/357927/12493914/130695...
That ... is easily the most unsual political ad I have seen in my life. To put it mildly. ;-) I am tempted to think it was satire? I mean, this would not have been very appealing to Nixon's target audience, would it?
Also, this sign has a great rhyme scheme; I almost feel like it needs "Burma Shave" at the bottom.
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-...
Finch isn't a Facebook-era observer who has just heard the story and the emotions are fresh. He's the victim's lawyer, who has been working hard on the case for months, all the time knowing that the jury would almost certainly declare for guilt. He leaves the court a tired, defeated man who tried hard to make it otherwise.
The author of the article declares that he should have been trembling with rage - perhaps the author should spend time in an actual courtroom observing how lawyers behave, rather than the ones on TV. The first time I saw an actual trial in progress, I was shocked - it was so boring. The lawyers didn't wander around the courtroom; lean over jurors to talk to them one-to-one; point accusatory fingers at the current witness...
Anyway, while the article is interesting, all through the article I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Finch is defending his client in the best ways he knows how, using tactics he think are most likely to work. He's not half-arsing the job, but working his best. But the article never drops the other shoe; never actually articulates what Finch should have done in the novel's context to make him the hero the article takes great pains to point out that he's not. As best as I can see, if Finch had've visibly shown he was miffed at the verdict, that would have been enough to turn him from "racial apologist" to "civil rights hero".
The disingenuity of the article is summed up at the end. Quoting the sheriff saying that he's not going to go public with the cause of Ewell's death, because Radley is a shy man who generally wants to be left alone, the author instead translates this as literally "the sheriff is stopping Radley from getting FREE CAKE!". Regardless of whether or not you agree with the actions of the sheriff, this is an atrociously bad reading of what was happening.
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That ... is easily the most unsual political ad I have seen in my life. To put it mildly. ;-) I am tempted to think it was satire? I mean, this would not have been very appealing to Nixon's target audience, would it?
As a former satirist, I am 99% sure that is satire. Certainly a majority like that wouldn't be silent for long! This looks exactly like the kind of stuff I was putting up around my college for George W. Bush. Also, this sign has a great rhyme scheme; I almost feel like it needs "Burma Shave" at the bottom.
Now I have an image stuck in my head of a crowd chanting the slogan on that poster... Please, make it stop! ;-)
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You are in fact being a huge literature snob saying that it's insulting to even compare the two. To Kill a Mockingbird was culture changing because it touched on such an important issue to American culture (race relations, etc.), while also being a well written book grounded in the human spirit. It is not objectively better written than ASOIAF, which has surprising depth and a keen understanding of the human spirit i…
I think it's fairly obvious that TKAMB is objectively better than ASOIAF. What next? You'll tell me that Dante Alighieri's 'Divine Comedy' isn't objectively better than Dan Brown's 'The Da Vinci Code'? Or that 'The Grapes of Wrath' isn't objectively better than 'Fifty Shades of Grey'? I don't buy your bullshit relativism.
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> in what sense is that assessment objective? There's no easy way of answering that on this kind of medium (an Internet forum). I took two graduate seminars and wrote several papers on it :) But as a primer, I strongly suggest reading Hume's 'Of the standard of taste': http://www.econlib.org/library/LFBooks/Hume/hmMPL23.html In that essay, he attempts to provide some clear-cut criteria for an objective judgment of ar…
Instead of saying, "It's too complicated to explain", why don't you give it a shot?
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Can you suggest some readings, stuff you found especially enjoyable? (I ask because you're my favorite writer on HN, and am curious as to what things influenced you)
Appreciate the compliment! My favorite books are Candide, The Great Gatsby, and My Antonia. Dracula and Frankenstein are really good too.
Read the Great Gatsby last year, was shocked at how much I liked it. Will definitely give My Antonia a read.