What I’m Looking For
Originally posted at Uncreated Conscience.
I know I promised to review some books, and I have a (very long) post about worldbuilding in the works, but I was thinking about agents updating their “What I’m Looking For” posts and thought, why shouldn’t I have one?
Of course, the difference between an agent and me is that what I acquire is definitely going out into the marketplace (because we’re buying), which adds extra pressure from On High to MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL. My Hamster of Personal Aesthetic is not everyone else’s Hamster.
THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM by William Dean Howells
Regardless, do you know what I would love to find in a bookstore? A novel of manners. I will admit my tastes are somewhat eclectic and old-fashioned, but I do love a book that examines class. I realise that class, like race, is something of a delicate issue, especially with today’s societal values, but I’m fascinated by the concept.
One of my favourite novels of all time is THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM by William Dean Howells. (I love anything by William Dean Howells, really, including A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES. He’s a contemporary of Henry James and while I love Henry James, he don’t got nuthin’ on Howells.) It’s a familiar story: Old Money vs. the nouveau riche, but I love SILAS LAPHAM for many reasons. First, it addresses the notion of “class” in the way we refer to someone sophisticated and elegant as “classy” rather than “class” as a socio-economic strata to which people belong.
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