(no subject)
I'm reading A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I always heard that it was an amazing book, but I've been having some issues getting through it. I tend to read a paragraph or two once or twice a week, so you can imagine how long it's taking me to get through this 617 page book.
I finally felt like reading it this afternoon and was enjoying it over a bowl of rice and lentils when I came across the following line:
"...she was racked by sobs as disturbing as the animal unhappiness of a retarded child" (Irving 219).
(MLA formatting, anyone?)
WTF? Really, John Irving? I understand what he was aiming for with that statement (at least, I think I do). He wanted to convey a raw, uninhibited, pure emotion. But really...I'm not okay with what he wrote. I've seen my "intellectually challenged" sister cry for no apparent reason, and there is nothing animalistic about it.
A Prayer for Owen Meany was published in 1989. Okay, perhaps it wasn't quite such a politically incorrect statement back then. But seriously...how has nobody complained about this to him or his publisher prior to now? Oh I know, it's because there is no space on John Irving's website that allows you to send comments or letters to the author. It only allows you to submit media inquiries to his publisher. Isn't that cute?
I finally felt like reading it this afternoon and was enjoying it over a bowl of rice and lentils when I came across the following line:
"...she was racked by sobs as disturbing as the animal unhappiness of a retarded child" (Irving 219).
(MLA formatting, anyone?)
WTF? Really, John Irving? I understand what he was aiming for with that statement (at least, I think I do). He wanted to convey a raw, uninhibited, pure emotion. But really...I'm not okay with what he wrote. I've seen my "intellectually challenged" sister cry for no apparent reason, and there is nothing animalistic about it.
A Prayer for Owen Meany was published in 1989. Okay, perhaps it wasn't quite such a politically incorrect statement back then. But seriously...how has nobody complained about this to him or his publisher prior to now? Oh I know, it's because there is no space on John Irving's website that allows you to send comments or letters to the author. It only allows you to submit media inquiries to his publisher. Isn't that cute?