You know a writer* is talented when they can break the rules (punctuation, grammar, dialogue, genre, length) and you barely notice, let alone care.
You know a writer is really talented when they flaunt convention so brilliantly that the rules end up looking pointless, even petty.
J.D Salinger springs to mind. He used exclamation marks, italics, slang and repetition with (what appears to be) delicious abandon.
But he walked a fine line, and I've no doubt he knew it. Too many "goddamns" or a misplaced "phony", and Holden would be a caricature, not a character; too much "horsing around" and readers would feel irritated, not awed.
But Salinger broke the rules and, more importantly, got away with it.
According to Holden, "you're lucky if you get time to sneeze in this goddamn phenomenal world".
But in this case it wasn't luck, it was skill.
*or musician, director, artist... I just couldn't think of good examples. Anybody?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Resignation versus indignation
One of the things I like (and very occasionally hate) most about being in a book club, is having to read novels I wouldn't necessarily choose myself.
Last month we read Jonathan Franzen's latest book. It's called Freedom and it's about a horribly dysfunctional American family. Under different circumstances, this is a novel I would probably have abandoned halfway through. It's compelling, insightful and brilliant, but incredibly disturbing.
I'd like to think Franzen was deliberately exaggerating the extent to which his characters manipulate, deceive and abuse one another, but the tone isn't sensational, it's matter-of-fact. Instead of outrage, there's resignation. He seems to be saying, "like it or not, this is the way things are".
In a culture where coming across as zealous, judgemental, self-righteous or interfering is to be avoided at all costs, resignation is an attractive (and easy) option.
But some things aren't OK, and will never be OK.
Thanks largely to the internet, viewing pornography is becoming socially acceptable. This may be "the way things are", but is that any grounds for excusing, let alone accepting, it?
Just as being accepting doesn't necessarily mean you're more forward-thinking than everybody else, being indignant doesn't necessarily mean you think you're better than everybody else.
It might just mean you're thinking for yourself.
Last month we read Jonathan Franzen's latest book. It's called Freedom and it's about a horribly dysfunctional American family. Under different circumstances, this is a novel I would probably have abandoned halfway through. It's compelling, insightful and brilliant, but incredibly disturbing.
I'd like to think Franzen was deliberately exaggerating the extent to which his characters manipulate, deceive and abuse one another, but the tone isn't sensational, it's matter-of-fact. Instead of outrage, there's resignation. He seems to be saying, "like it or not, this is the way things are".
In a culture where coming across as zealous, judgemental, self-righteous or interfering is to be avoided at all costs, resignation is an attractive (and easy) option.
But some things aren't OK, and will never be OK.
Thanks largely to the internet, viewing pornography is becoming socially acceptable. This may be "the way things are", but is that any grounds for excusing, let alone accepting, it?
Just as being accepting doesn't necessarily mean you're more forward-thinking than everybody else, being indignant doesn't necessarily mean you think you're better than everybody else.
It might just mean you're thinking for yourself.
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