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Harper Lee has died

nytimes.com

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Re: Harper Lee has died

#61

Post by chc »

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-...

For yet another perspective, consider how you and people you know react to animal rights activists who take an Atticus-like approach to their activism compared to those who take a more militant and hard-line approach. It seems to me that most people find the first group more persuasive and harder to write off.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#62

Post by mklim »

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?

Yeah, this is a common problem in genre fiction unfortunately. The best one I've read is "The Magicians" series by Lev Grossman. The writing is clean, concise, everything is shown and nothing told. The series is a great deconstruction of a lot of classic YA fantasy tropes and has a solid magic system. Can't recommend this series highly enough, both my literary and scifi/fantasy fan friends have all really enjoyed it.

I'd also recommend Ishiguro's The Buried Giant, very close to literary fiction.

It steps a little outside of the bounds of what we think of as "fantasy", but the magical realism genre has a lot of amazing pieces, and the genre is based around fantastical elements. My favorite example of this is "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel García Márquez. "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino is another good one.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#63

Post by poxrud »

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 Robert E. Howard's Conan short stories. These are very well written and are in public domain.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#64

Post by zaccus »

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.

Insulting to whom? He just likes the one quote more than the other. There's nothing more to be read into it.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#65

Post by scott_s »

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.

I think such people are talking about different things. One is more coarse-grain, talking about the story, pacing and themes. The other is more fine-grain, talking about the individual word choices and language play.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#66

Post by nekopa »

bfrancom01 wrote: post #56

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.

Would you care to say what books you think are good?

Re: Harper Lee has died

#67

Post by scott_s »

mklim wrote: post #62
therealdrag0 wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Yeah, this is a common problem in genre fiction unfortunately. The best one I've read is "The Magicians" series by Lev Grossman. The writing is clean, concise, everything is shown and nothing told. The series is a great deconstruction of a lot of classic YA fantasy tropes and has a solid magic system. Can't recommend this series highly enough, both my literary and scifi/fantasy fan friends have all really enjoyed it.…

I adore "The Magicians", and have added "The Buried Giant" to my stack based on your recommendation.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#68

Post by cm2012 »

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.

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 in conflict with itself.

ASOIAF has flaws, but so does TKAMB. Atticus could be argued to be quite a one dimensional character (not counting the sequel, which comes out of nowhere and is widely regarded to NOT be well written).

Re: Harper Lee has died

#69

Post by davidw »

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.

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'.

Re: Harper Lee has died

#70

Post by hn9780470248775 »

padobson wrote: post #55

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 wisd…

I take it you haven't read "Go Set a Watchman"...
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