Thoughts on Guardian the novel and Wattpad comments
I’m rereading Guardian (the in progress English translation on Wattpad). The first time I read it I experienced it as a manic blur because I was simultaneously making my way through the web series, the novel, and fan fiction. (I know, what was I thinking?)
I remain completely taken taken by the novel. The writing (and translation) is witty, hilarious, and heartbreaking. Each sentence and paragraph outdoes the one before. The writing is both playful and heart wrenching.
But, and this is what I really wanted to talk about here-I really love reading the comments on Wattpad. The feeling of experiencing and responding together, when commenters collectively respond to a turn of phrase, a plot development, ZYL’s insistence that SW is the “wife,” SW’s tragic relationship to virtue, and then commenters responding to each other, explaining, offering cultural translation, or sometimes alternate translations of particular paragraphs .... the sense of community in those comments is intense and fascinating. I’m essentially retracing all of the comments a second time too, and they’re just as captivating this time round.
This entry was originally posted at https://lola.dreamwidth.org/111092.html. Comments welcome here or there.
I remain completely taken taken by the novel. The writing (and translation) is witty, hilarious, and heartbreaking. Each sentence and paragraph outdoes the one before. The writing is both playful and heart wrenching.
But, and this is what I really wanted to talk about here-I really love reading the comments on Wattpad. The feeling of experiencing and responding together, when commenters collectively respond to a turn of phrase, a plot development, ZYL’s insistence that SW is the “wife,” SW’s tragic relationship to virtue, and then commenters responding to each other, explaining, offering cultural translation, or sometimes alternate translations of particular paragraphs .... the sense of community in those comments is intense and fascinating. I’m essentially retracing all of the comments a second time too, and they’re just as captivating this time round.
This entry was originally posted at https://lola.dreamwidth.org/111092.html. Comments welcome here or there.