on literature

[cjqsg]

i am reading colin thubron's shadow of the silk road. it's a celebrated book, very well-received by reviewers and laymen alike. however, i do not share their enthusiasm. as i review my difficulties in appreciating the book, perhaps u could better understand my 'problems' with literature

Comments

[thlaylirah]

I suppose it's supposed to be painting a mental image of the place and the atmosphere.

Mr Chen Jinquan, I think the real problem is that you lack imagination. =p Or maybe you think too much. Maybe you did get the author's intended message from your first reading, however on further and closer analysis you start rejecting whatever artistic license the author took in his depiction of the scene.

[yzq]

from my (limited) experience, i find local literature much more enjoyable to read as the author has a similar refractive index

[ancal]

>similar refractive index

*unpacks* Similar angle? Similar lens? Similar myopia?

[yzq]

i meant lens. but the other two wouldn't be far from reality either.

[applecherrypipz]

LOL Hi Jinquan i find your entry really amusing. I used to find Literature a pain at times because I just díd not understand some things as they did not make logical sense. I suppose to appreciate Literature we've got to 'feel' what the author is trying to communicate instead of 'rationally understanding'it.

for example, 'tumbled in sleep' could suggest that the dead bodies are like live humans asleep (we tend to tumble around in bed when we sleep)..it's supposed to create the impression of a living kind of energy emanating from the bodies.

In connection with that, 'fearing that they might wake' contributes to the sense of facing the mystery of what lies beyond the precipice of Death. Rmb the author is trying to create the impression that the bodies are living..

so ya hope u understand what it means to ''feel out'' what the author is saying..i think it's a sort of understanding that happens on a more emotional and unconscious level..where irrational dreams and imagination reign..lol

[chris_nysb]

"I think descriptions of nature should be very short and always be � propos. Commonplaces like “The setting sun, sinking into the waves of the darkening sea, cast its purple gold rays, etc,” “Swallows, flitting over the surface of the water, twittered gaily” - eliminate such commonplaces. You have to choose small details in describing nature, grouping them in such a way that if you close your eyes after reading it you can picture the whole thing. For example, you’ll get a picture of a moonlit night if you write that on the dam of the mill a piece of broken bottle flashed like a bright star and the black shadow of a dog or a wolf rolled by like a ball, etc. . . . In the realm of psychology you also need details. God preserve you from commonplaces. Best of all, shun all descriptions of the characters’ spiritual state. You must try to have that state emerge clearly from their actions. Don’t try for too many characters. The center of gravity should reside in two: he and she."

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Russian physician & writer does this

[chris_nysb]

ps

http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9764

and why is good writing important? because it precisely fixes the aspect of reality that the author wants you to see, and because it allows you to share in and understand that reality.

and the ability to distinguish good writing is so extraordinarily important because it gives you means to distinguish between truth and untruth. when you recognize good writing, it clarifies the world for you, makes you see the world through a clearer lens and you gain new, true understanding of the subject. the issue arises when you can't tell good writing from not and you wind up adopting a mistaken view of the world.

btw my requirements of good writing are not "prettiness" or anything of that sort; good writing has to illuminate an aspect of reality. which means that it has to be close to truth, and it serves a clear function in the story-telling. hope you get me.

[cjqsg]

colin thubron is...not typically associated with literature. shadow of a silk road is a travelogue about his experiences on the silk road. he is one of the most popular travel writers of our time and he writes novels too.