Active Users:418 Time:17/06/2025 05:11:06 AM
Re: There's "subjective", and there's "lack of education" cortez1 Send a noteboard - 21/02/2012 09:23:38 PM
I agree with most of your points, and i was not defending Sanderson because I think he's a great writer. I think he is a good fantasy writer who writes enjoyable novels that I like to read. Hell, that's what I think Tolkien is. To find a great fantasy writer I would have to go back to E.R.R. Eddison and his works have too many flaws for me to truly call them great, timeless literature.

But, the point I quibble with is when you say that Dickens is basically not meant to be entertaining to today's audience. I agree, it's not supposed to be Lost, bright and shiny with a thin veneer of deeper meaning. But to me a great work should be timeless not because it is well written, but because it speaks to us. it does not so much entertain us, but grab us and draw us in. We should see our hates and lusts, loves and sorrows reflected on its pages. We should feel it. It should tell us we are not alone,t hat others have been there, felt what we have felt, stumbled where we have stumbled. As for the example of Dickens, I enjoyed, was entertained by, Great Expectations partially because of the mystery and the complexity of the plot, but also because I was interested in Pip's growth throughout the novel. I read it in high school and I saw myself at times in him. A Tale of Two Cities, which to me is an exciting novel, not dense and dull at all, is important and lasting because of how well Dickens makes you feel the sacrifice at the end. It stays with you, haunts you. The characters and their actions give the novel its staying power. Prose should enhance those things, never obscure it.

To use a movie or show metaphor like you did, I am reminded of watching high school students watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The movie looks, sounds, and feels incredibly dated. Students complain. Why is it black and white? This is stupid. This is boring. Then, about halfway through, the complaints die out. By the end, the filibuster scene, every student is silent and staring at the screen in rapt attention. That is great storytelling, with characters, story, and meaning that speaks across time, culture, and trends. Lost will never be that way. Sanderson, as his published work stands now, will never be that way.
Reply to message
Brandon Sanderson plans 36 books in his 'Cosmere' setting - 19/02/2012 11:45:24 AM 4818 Views
Was Sanderson created by the Writng Gods to counter balance GRRM? - 19/02/2012 05:13:07 PM 1599 Views
A modern Moorcock, eh ? *NM* - 19/02/2012 05:39:00 PM 703 Views
I just wish he'd be done with the RJ shit and go back to writing his own books. - 19/02/2012 05:40:59 PM 1528 Views
Agreed on both points..... - 19/02/2012 08:00:41 PM 1491 Views
Well, but he is a "fluff" writer from a literary standpoint - 20/02/2012 02:16:11 AM 1526 Views
Not a fluff writer in my mind..... - 20/02/2012 03:12:46 AM 1503 Views
You don't seem to want to hear what I'm saying - 20/02/2012 03:51:13 AM 1458 Views
And I am saying that storytelling is more important..... - 20/02/2012 04:52:39 AM 1584 Views
Storytelling is crucial... - 20/02/2012 05:59:57 AM 1586 Views
A few comments/replies about your post..... - 20/02/2012 02:57:16 PM 1515 Views
You are correct in one respect: all of this is opinion. - 20/02/2012 07:01:11 PM 1506 Views
You sound like one of those nasty "literary elites"! - 20/02/2012 08:07:13 PM 1455 Views
Literature is subjective - 21/02/2012 12:26:35 AM 1529 Views
Very well said..... *NM* - 21/02/2012 01:12:40 AM 669 Views
I agree with your point about reading Shakespeare from textbooks. - 21/02/2012 03:18:37 AM 1580 Views
Never heard of Thomas Mann and the real Mona Lisa..... - 21/02/2012 03:34:12 AM 1396 Views
Conversely, why should I trust the likes of you? - 21/02/2012 06:19:18 AM 1693 Views
Oh, come now... - 21/02/2012 10:35:18 AM 1646 Views
When it comes to evaluating schema, I'm not going to trust someone who only had English 101 - 21/02/2012 11:26:03 AM 1402 Views
Mostly agreed - 21/02/2012 09:00:51 PM 1466 Views
Mostly true - 21/02/2012 09:27:09 PM 1490 Views
Re: Mostly true - 22/02/2012 12:58:55 AM 1314 Views
Larry = snob - 21/02/2012 05:34:22 PM 1450 Views
Amusing - 21/02/2012 07:49:20 PM 1454 Views
Wow, you lack basic reading comprehension skills..... - 21/02/2012 08:29:24 PM 1448 Views
Uh...Faust is a play. Doctor Faustus is a novel. The former is Goethe, the latter is Mann. *NM* - 22/02/2012 12:00:22 AM 688 Views
D'uh.....notice the smiley face. Good grief! *NM* - 22/02/2012 12:50:23 AM 704 Views
Just checking... *NM* - 22/02/2012 01:07:40 AM 652 Views
Wait, let's look at the gross disconnect between two statements. - 21/02/2012 01:59:34 PM 1512 Views
I have not blindly rejected the literary elites..... - 21/02/2012 05:27:35 PM 1505 Views
So true about the Mona Lisa. - 21/02/2012 07:57:41 PM 1559 Views
Yes, I was at the Louvre and you are right..... - 21/02/2012 08:32:40 PM 1457 Views
This is where your own rethoric defeats you... - 23/02/2012 06:38:54 AM 1485 Views
Slow down - it may not be the current elites that are hyping it..... - 23/02/2012 05:12:47 PM 1265 Views
There's "subjective", and there's "lack of education" - 21/02/2012 08:58:11 PM 1459 Views
Re: There's "subjective", and there's "lack of education" - 21/02/2012 09:23:38 PM 1593 Views
Thank you. That was excellent. *NM* - 20/02/2012 07:01:31 PM 743 Views
Seems like an awful lot. - 19/02/2012 08:11:22 PM 1683 Views
Sanderson is a machine. Also, the books (so far) have been wildly different - 20/02/2012 12:50:41 AM 1566 Views
I thought he was just recycling the name at first. *NM* - 20/02/2012 02:09:57 AM 753 Views
It's likely to stay that way... - 20/02/2012 06:22:50 AM 1554 Views
I think he can actually do both - 20/02/2012 03:31:00 PM 1612 Views
Re: I think he can actually do both - 20/02/2012 06:34:30 PM 1676 Views
I love it. - 19/02/2012 10:00:28 PM 1410 Views
Confirmation on the Mistborn trilogies. I am so happy. *NM* - 20/02/2012 05:38:23 AM 654 Views
I am thrilled to see that there will be more stories about Wax and Wayne..... - 20/02/2012 03:46:37 PM 1312 Views
The one issue I had with that book... - 21/02/2012 06:21:29 PM 1430 Views
Waxillium! *NM* - 21/02/2012 10:47:03 PM 658 Views
WAXILLIUM! *NM* - 04/03/2012 07:39:37 AM 889 Views
Why is that an issue? I think those names are great. - 23/02/2012 05:31:51 AM 1391 Views
Do you not like puns? *NM* - 06/03/2012 01:38:31 PM 755 Views
BS- The Fantasy Stephen King? - 21/12/2012 08:12:21 PM 1201 Views

Reply to Message