tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post6634590099580157800..comments2023-05-31T10:36:21.078-04:00Comments on Don't Forget the Avocados: Why Hardy Boys Novels = Pride and PrejudiceAnna Mussmannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-37565518030916930442014-03-07T21:35:59.649-05:002014-03-07T21:35:59.649-05:00I suppose what makes a real artist is the ability ...I suppose what makes a real artist is the ability to say something true about humanity (something that many others have undoubtedly already pointed out) in a way that makes it feel new, and thereby helping us understand it. At least, that's my theory!Anna Mussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-64086824305632826482014-03-06T22:41:17.223-05:002014-03-06T22:41:17.223-05:00I must admit that labeling Mr.Darcy as the RGWKSU ...I must admit that labeling Mr.Darcy as the RGWKSU has me grinning from ear to ear... I will have to keep thinking about whether any authors are truly original in their plot. I should say that I was very surprised to attend poetry reading once where another poet read a poem with the same "plot" as one of mine. I should not have been surprised; however, I was very attached to the originality of my poem and disappointed to learn that it was not so original after all...Elisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10644097146566373256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-60522635333428969502013-03-08T10:29:17.508-05:002013-03-08T10:29:17.508-05:00For those who are interested in the concept of &qu...For those who are interested in the concept of "story" vs "plot," this discussion of the way the E.M. Forster distinguished them is very interesting.<br /> <br />http://aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/04/e-m-forster-the-difference-between-story-and-plot/<br />Anna Mussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-57620942920999289332013-03-05T12:11:10.913-05:002013-03-05T12:11:10.913-05:00I haven't read either, although I'm sure I...I haven't read either, although I'm sure I should! I agree that there are beautiful books written without plot. <br /><br />Yet even the non-plot books are "artificial" in the sense that all of the words and scenes are chosen to communicate a specific feeling, idea, or message. Plot-driven books just do this more obviously. Unedited real life would make a terrible book-- all that facebook-checking, teeth-brushing, and endless talking. Books must distill life into a condensed picture that is real without being realistic. The threads of our lives are stories, and sometimes we tell them to each other, so why shouldn't an author tell the tale of a specific thread (a plot), arranged so that it makes a clearer book? That is one way of exploring whether the story of our life has a meaning instead.<br /><br />Of course, some plots are more real than others! I have nothing to say in defense of plots like Twilight.Anna Mussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-36984233926551948742013-03-05T11:34:09.777-05:002013-03-05T11:34:09.777-05:00I don't believe in plots -life rarely works li...I don't believe in plots -life rarely works like a Jeffrey Archer novel. Have you read <i>The Sun Also Rises</i> by Hemingway? Or the <i>The Snows of Kilimanjaro</i> by the same author? umashankarhttp://uspandey.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-55269072530825147772013-03-01T11:37:53.509-05:002013-03-01T11:37:53.509-05:00Dan,
Doesn't this make it interesting to thin...Dan,<br /><br />Doesn't this make it interesting to think about how people a hundred years from now will view today's books? Probably only a few of the current fantasy titles will still be on the shelves by then (not necessarily the ones that WE like best), and people will read them without having read all of the similar, less-enduring tales that gave them context. Kind of like the way we read Jane Eyre but haven't heard of most other Victorian Gothic romances. I wonder how much that will change the feel of the stories?Anna Mussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-28164566862036300542013-03-01T11:05:00.326-05:002013-03-01T11:05:00.326-05:00I remember reading a book recently, and just simpl...I remember reading a book recently, and just simply characterizing it as, "Oh, its Harry Potter but with Vampires." Fact is, its true, there was a ton of Harry Potter similarities, but it was also different because of the point of view. In all honesty, I liked the Vampire spin on it far better than the wizard take on it, and luckily it diverges enough to be its own story.DanBonserhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11557369452959586375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-68125828846225228882013-02-28T17:42:27.471-05:002013-02-28T17:42:27.471-05:00Maria,
Absolutely! Just like almost every human b...Maria,<br /><br />Absolutely! Just like almost every human being experiences approximately the same milestones, yet they are different and exciting for each of us, fiction can show is the same things in beautifully different ways. Anna Mussmannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11631139113615066986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1830926676646063620.post-2650309561597676572013-02-28T11:01:46.070-05:002013-02-28T11:01:46.070-05:00Different books might sound alike when you put the...Different books might sound alike when you put them into a short summary, but they can still catch readers by surprise. They can still shock. I guess it's how the story is told that makes it original.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15127494234863953029noreply@blogger.com