Good Prose Fiction: Solution Or Problem?

[matt_arnold]

There are two ways in which the high quality of writing has become a problem for readers

Comments

[todfox]

Interesting rant -- I am not sure I agree with all of it but I am still mulling it over. Thanks for your thoughts.

[overthesun]

Let me be the first to say: Right On! I appreciate good writing, up to a point. Sentence structure, Grammar, self consistency, the restraint to avoid introducing Deus ex machina, and believable characters matter to me. But if you graph a "good book" as a one to 100 scale, as long as you passed the 75 mark, and have the mental experience I want, I am happy. On the flip side, if you don't have any of the mental experiences I turn to books for, you could bust out the top of the scale, with everyone raving that you deserve a hundred and fifty, and I won't want to read it.

[todfox]

Ok, further thoughts: While I appreciate a rant for rant's sake, to respond seriously I think the key you left off the list is that for some people, wordcraft and dramacraft IS a reason to read a book -- a mental experience wholly aside from the others you listed. While I think an afternoon spent doing nothing but reading RPG sourcebooks can be a happily spent one indeed, there are also authors -- such as Bradbury, Mark Helprin, or John Crowley -- who I seek out for their ability at dramacraft and wordcraft. Some of them are also good at creating mythopoeic thought, laughter, sentimentality, etc (indeed i tend to think so) but when I think of them I do think of their ability to write beautiful prose before I think of any other writing skills they have.

[todfox]

Besides, have you ever tried to read Hugo Gernsback? :P

[matt_arnold]

I haven't read Hugo Gernsback, but I've read a lot of Vernor Vinge and am familiar with his balance of weaknesses and strengths. This is simply where his focus lies when it comes to which rewards he is offering. His works are some of my absolute favorites.

[matt_arnold]

So it's always the means, but sometimes it's also the end. I see what you mean

[phecda]

People who write in letters to the editor complaining that something doesn't conform to their tunnel reality are whiners (says the person who is doing the moral equivalent with this post).

And actually, in the past, Detective and Mystery fiction has garnered it's own genre magazines (Ellery Queen's Alfred Hitchcock's and Spicy Detective come to mind), and back in the 70's sibling magazines Galaxy and If tended to trope more to Science Fiction and Fantasy respectively.

I've written about my preferences in content before, but essentially prefer works that push the boundary definitions:
e.g., Brin's "Sundiver" is one of the better locked room mysteries I've read. It also is good science fiction, an interesting discourse on politics and a reasonable action thriller. I would recommend it without reservation to anyone who is fond of any of these genres.

[thefile]

I posted your rant to Elizabeth Moon's LJ emoon60.

Here's her response: Link

[matt_arnold]

That isn't a response.