Sean Lovelace—
Brief, but interesting: Lincoln Michel on DFW, Junot Diaz. Begs to ask the novel of the ’80s, the ’70s, the ’60s, ’50s…?
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Meta
is junot diaz so now?
is junot diaz so now?
is junot diaz so now?
God that Oscar Wao book sounds like a load of pretentious shit. I think I’d rather nail by dick to a board than read it after that ‘recommendation’.
God that Oscar Wao book sounds like a load of pretentious shit. I think I’d rather nail by dick to a board than read it after that ‘recommendation’.
God that Oscar Wao book sounds like a load of pretentious shit. I think I’d rather nail by dick to a board than read it after that ‘recommendation’.
I tried to read Oscar Wao in December, mostly to learn some stuff about the DR. But I quit it after 70 pages. Terrible.
I tried to read Oscar Wao in December, mostly to learn some stuff about the DR. But I quit it after 70 pages. Terrible.
I tried to read Oscar Wao in December, mostly to learn some stuff about the DR. But I quit it after 70 pages. Terrible.
Really? I loved Oscar Wao. I don’t get the Junot Diaz hate. Or the charges of pretentious. How is his book pretentious?
Really? I loved Oscar Wao. I don’t get the Junot Diaz hate. Or the charges of pretentious. How is his book pretentious?
Really? I loved Oscar Wao. I don’t get the Junot Diaz hate. Or the charges of pretentious. How is his book pretentious?
(note that the person calling it pretentious apparently hasn’t read it…)
(note that the person calling it pretentious apparently hasn’t read it…)
(note that the person calling it pretentious apparently hasn’t read it…)
“Pretentious” is the word du jour for readers and writers with rigid and conservative aesthetics. Any novel or story that takes chances with style or form or contains, like, long sentences and stuff is “pretentious.”
“Pretentious” is the word du jour for readers and writers with rigid and conservative aesthetics. Any novel or story that takes chances with style or form or contains, like, long sentences and stuff is “pretentious.”
“Pretentious” is the word du jour for readers and writers with rigid and conservative aesthetics. Any novel or story that takes chances with style or form or contains, like, long sentences and stuff is “pretentious.”
Hey, thanks for the link Sean.
I must say that “pretentious” is not a word I’d expect to be thrown at a novel that’s written in college-geek speak and talks mostly about Lord of the Rings and marvel comics.
Hey, thanks for the link Sean.
I must say that “pretentious” is not a word I’d expect to be thrown at a novel that’s written in college-geek speak and talks mostly about Lord of the Rings and marvel comics.
Hey, thanks for the link Sean.
I must say that “pretentious” is not a word I’d expect to be thrown at a novel that’s written in college-geek speak and talks mostly about Lord of the Rings and marvel comics.
Well as Mat pointed out my comment was about the description of the book in the article, not the book itself (which I havent read). But frankly any book which is described like this:
“The result is a reference-studded Spanglish loaded so densely with extratextual shout-outs (ringwraiths, Le Corbusier, Joseph Conrad’s wife) it practically requires the web as an unofficial appendix. The book could have been sponsored by Google and Wikipedia; you either have to consult them constantly or just surrender to the vastness of the knowledge you don’t have—which is, of course, its own kind of pleasure.”
may as well has “pretentious” tattooed on it’s forehead. Unless the pretension is all coming from the critic, in which case they haven’t served the book very well. But no, I wouldn’t agree that any novel that takes chances with style or form or contains long sentences is automatically pretentious. My favorite writer is probably William S Burroughs who did plenty of that – and long sentences to boot!
On the other hand, post modern excessively footnoted and overcooked stuff like, say, “A Heartbreaking Work” is just pure wankery in my opinion. Frankly if you need to consult wikipedia to understand what the author is talking about, then the author has failed the reader.
Well as Mat pointed out my comment was about the description of the book in the article, not the book itself (which I havent read). But frankly any book which is described like this:
“The result is a reference-studded Spanglish loaded so densely with extratextual shout-outs (ringwraiths, Le Corbusier, Joseph Conrad’s wife) it practically requires the web as an unofficial appendix. The book could have been sponsored by Google and Wikipedia; you either have to consult them constantly or just surrender to the vastness of the knowledge you don’t have—which is, of course, its own kind of pleasure.”
may as well has “pretentious” tattooed on it’s forehead. Unless the pretension is all coming from the critic, in which case they haven’t served the book very well. But no, I wouldn’t agree that any novel that takes chances with style or form or contains long sentences is automatically pretentious. My favorite writer is probably William S Burroughs who did plenty of that – and long sentences to boot!
On the other hand, post modern excessively footnoted and overcooked stuff like, say, “A Heartbreaking Work” is just pure wankery in my opinion. Frankly if you need to consult wikipedia to understand what the author is talking about, then the author has failed the reader.
Well as Mat pointed out my comment was about the description of the book in the article, not the book itself (which I havent read). But frankly any book which is described like this:
“The result is a reference-studded Spanglish loaded so densely with extratextual shout-outs (ringwraiths, Le Corbusier, Joseph Conrad’s wife) it practically requires the web as an unofficial appendix. The book could have been sponsored by Google and Wikipedia; you either have to consult them constantly or just surrender to the vastness of the knowledge you don’t have—which is, of course, its own kind of pleasure.”
may as well has “pretentious” tattooed on it’s forehead. Unless the pretension is all coming from the critic, in which case they haven’t served the book very well. But no, I wouldn’t agree that any novel that takes chances with style or form or contains long sentences is automatically pretentious. My favorite writer is probably William S Burroughs who did plenty of that – and long sentences to boot!
On the other hand, post modern excessively footnoted and overcooked stuff like, say, “A Heartbreaking Work” is just pure wankery in my opinion. Frankly if you need to consult wikipedia to understand what the author is talking about, then the author has failed the reader.
Tony, don’t let the description put you off; you’ll be missing a great, energetic, sweeping read and voice. Seriously, the references don’t come off as jarring or overcooked or anything like that, I swear. It all sounds absolutely natural as conversation, and the Spanglish is easily understood, even if you don’t speak any Spanish at all. I know because my mom read this book and loved it, and she speaks zero Espanol. And there are hardly any references which anyone on this site wouldn’t get right away–nothing particularly obscure or out there. I mean, if you’re not a giant nerd like me, you might not get a few of the LOTR references but you know that’s what they are, and they just give the main narrator a really original voice.
Tony, don’t let the description put you off; you’ll be missing a great, energetic, sweeping read and voice. Seriously, the references don’t come off as jarring or overcooked or anything like that, I swear. It all sounds absolutely natural as conversation, and the Spanglish is easily understood, even if you don’t speak any Spanish at all. I know because my mom read this book and loved it, and she speaks zero Espanol. And there are hardly any references which anyone on this site wouldn’t get right away–nothing particularly obscure or out there. I mean, if you’re not a giant nerd like me, you might not get a few of the LOTR references but you know that’s what they are, and they just give the main narrator a really original voice.
Tony, don’t let the description put you off; you’ll be missing a great, energetic, sweeping read and voice. Seriously, the references don’t come off as jarring or overcooked or anything like that, I swear. It all sounds absolutely natural as conversation, and the Spanglish is easily understood, even if you don’t speak any Spanish at all. I know because my mom read this book and loved it, and she speaks zero Espanol. And there are hardly any references which anyone on this site wouldn’t get right away–nothing particularly obscure or out there. I mean, if you’re not a giant nerd like me, you might not get a few of the LOTR references but you know that’s what they are, and they just give the main narrator a really original voice.
I have not read Wao but will because I did read Drown and I thought it was a damn good book. I trust Diaz now, so we’ll see.
It’s going to be better than Heartbreaking. Please.
I think loading a work with cultural references/pop/blah blah is fine, as long as I can get into the book/characters/language/meat of the book without understanding those references. Like I can enjoy a word without understanding the definition, if it has context and the word itself has pop.
Having said that, sometimes Eliot pisses me off with referencing things I need to know, and I’m not reading 100 footnote son Egyptian tomb texts while trying to enjoy the language of a poem.
I have not read Wao but will because I did read Drown and I thought it was a damn good book. I trust Diaz now, so we’ll see.
It’s going to be better than Heartbreaking. Please.
I think loading a work with cultural references/pop/blah blah is fine, as long as I can get into the book/characters/language/meat of the book without understanding those references. Like I can enjoy a word without understanding the definition, if it has context and the word itself has pop.
Having said that, sometimes Eliot pisses me off with referencing things I need to know, and I’m not reading 100 footnote son Egyptian tomb texts while trying to enjoy the language of a poem.
I have not read Wao but will because I did read Drown and I thought it was a damn good book. I trust Diaz now, so we’ll see.
It’s going to be better than Heartbreaking. Please.
I think loading a work with cultural references/pop/blah blah is fine, as long as I can get into the book/characters/language/meat of the book without understanding those references. Like I can enjoy a word without understanding the definition, if it has context and the word itself has pop.
Having said that, sometimes Eliot pisses me off with referencing things I need to know, and I’m not reading 100 footnote son Egyptian tomb texts while trying to enjoy the language of a poem.
I don’t understand the mass opinion regarding Diaz. I’ve read both his books, and while they’re both good and enjoyable, it’s some pretty forgettable stuff. If he is the next Big Name in fiction, then, well. . . I don’t know. I’ll be disappointed.
I don’t understand the mass opinion regarding Diaz. I’ve read both his books, and while they’re both good and enjoyable, it’s some pretty forgettable stuff. If he is the next Big Name in fiction, then, well. . . I don’t know. I’ll be disappointed.
I don’t understand the mass opinion regarding Diaz. I’ve read both his books, and while they’re both good and enjoyable, it’s some pretty forgettable stuff. If he is the next Big Name in fiction, then, well. . . I don’t know. I’ll be disappointed.
It’s not really pretentious. It’s a fun and occasionally thrilling read that is sometimes kind of hokey/corny and lacks a lot in the way of “meat.” A decade from now we’re going to look goofy for regarding it so highly as a culture, IMO.
It’s not really pretentious. It’s a fun and occasionally thrilling read that is sometimes kind of hokey/corny and lacks a lot in the way of “meat.” A decade from now we’re going to look goofy for regarding it so highly as a culture, IMO.
It’s not really pretentious. It’s a fun and occasionally thrilling read that is sometimes kind of hokey/corny and lacks a lot in the way of “meat.” A decade from now we’re going to look goofy for regarding it so highly as a culture, IMO.
I think “wankery” is the best word I’ve ever heard used to describe “Heartbreaking Work,” or at least the experience I had reading it. I don’t get the Eggers thing, and I don’t think it’s out of cynicism or because he’s popular. I was really put off by his IJ intro, too.
I think “wankery” is the best word I’ve ever heard used to describe “Heartbreaking Work,” or at least the experience I had reading it. I don’t get the Eggers thing, and I don’t think it’s out of cynicism or because he’s popular. I was really put off by his IJ intro, too.
I think “wankery” is the best word I’ve ever heard used to describe “Heartbreaking Work,” or at least the experience I had reading it. I don’t get the Eggers thing, and I don’t think it’s out of cynicism or because he’s popular. I was really put off by his IJ intro, too.
I definitely do not see Diaz as some super heavyweight author. Yet at least. Oscar Wao was a good fun read, but yeah I’m not sure about “book of the decade!” at all.
I definitely do not see Diaz as some super heavyweight author. Yet at least. Oscar Wao was a good fun read, but yeah I’m not sure about “book of the decade!” at all.
I definitely do not see Diaz as some super heavyweight author. Yet at least. Oscar Wao was a good fun read, but yeah I’m not sure about “book of the decade!” at all.
I’ll second that “yet.” His books are good enough that I’ll continue paying attention, at least for a little while. Dude’s definitely got talent. If he doesn’t evolve as an artist w/in lie 2-3 books, though, I’ll probably tap out.
I’ll second that “yet.” His books are good enough that I’ll continue paying attention, at least for a little while. Dude’s definitely got talent. If he doesn’t evolve as an artist w/in lie 2-3 books, though, I’ll probably tap out.
I’ll second that “yet.” His books are good enough that I’ll continue paying attention, at least for a little while. Dude’s definitely got talent. If he doesn’t evolve as an artist w/in lie 2-3 books, though, I’ll probably tap out.
Just a little anecdote—I’m an undergraduate at a small, semi-elite LAS college. Within the past year I’ve seen Drown or Wao taught in classes several times, and I know Diaz is being taught in at least three classes this year. (Three! At a college this small that’s like 20% of English classes.) And when you think about this in comparison to that Emerson article Baumann posted… just kind leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Just a little anecdote—I’m an undergraduate at a small, semi-elite LAS college. Within the past year I’ve seen Drown or Wao taught in classes several times, and I know Diaz is being taught in at least three classes this year. (Three! At a college this small that’s like 20% of English classes.) And when you think about this in comparison to that Emerson article Baumann posted… just kind leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
Just a little anecdote—I’m an undergraduate at a small, semi-elite LAS college. Within the past year I’ve seen Drown or Wao taught in classes several times, and I know Diaz is being taught in at least three classes this year. (Three! At a college this small that’s like 20% of English classes.) And when you think about this in comparison to that Emerson article Baumann posted… just kind leaves a bad taste in the mouth.