Comments on: George Saunders and his enormous, throbbing heart: a homily http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/ the internet literature magazine blog of the future Wed, 23 May 2012 04:35:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Richard http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-30810 Richard Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:45:12 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-30810 Finding this very late, but I just wanted to say fantastic article here Justin. I've recently gotten into Saunders, starting with "Puppy" which blew me away. Now "Al Roosten" and "Victory Lap" have wormed their way into my brain, and I am glad. I welcome it, even. I've been so encouraged by the authors pushing the state of "literary" fiction. GS, AM Homes, TC Boyle, and many newer voices (to me at least) in this year's BASS - Karen Brown's "Galatea" and Katie Chase's "Man and Wife." I met Ron Kesey at AWP NYC and much like these other voices, find that there is indeed room for more "surreal" literary fiction, magical realism, and language as well, curse words and sex, my LORD. :-) I will now read any GS wherever it pops up. And that's a good thing. Sometimes you just find a voice that resonates. Some other voices I've recently found that I'll just trot out there, Mary Gaitskill (Bad Behavior), she's been around, but new to me, but also Holly Goddard Jones (Girl Trouble) and Mary Miller (Big World). Check them out, if you haven't yet. Thanks Justin. Great article. Peace, Richard Finding this very late, but I just wanted to say fantastic article here Justin. I’ve recently gotten into Saunders, starting with “Puppy” which blew me away. Now “Al Roosten” and “Victory Lap” have wormed their way into my brain, and I am glad. I welcome it, even. I’ve been so encouraged by the authors pushing the state of “literary” fiction. GS, AM Homes, TC Boyle, and many newer voices (to me at least) in this year’s BASS – Karen Brown’s “Galatea” and Katie Chase’s “Man and Wife.” I met Ron Kesey at AWP NYC and much like these other voices, find that there is indeed room for more “surreal” literary fiction, magical realism, and language as well, curse words and sex, my LORD. :-) I will now read any GS wherever it pops up. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes you just find a voice that resonates. Some other voices I’ve recently found that I’ll just trot out there, Mary Gaitskill (Bad Behavior), she’s been around, but new to me, but also Holly Goddard Jones (Girl Trouble) and Mary Miller (Big World). Check them out, if you haven’t yet.

Thanks Justin. Great article.

Peace,
Richard

]]> By: Richard http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-100617 Richard Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:45:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-100617 Finding this very late, but I just wanted to say fantastic article here Justin. I've recently gotten into Saunders, starting with "Puppy" which blew me away. Now "Al Roosten" and "Victory Lap" have wormed their way into my brain, and I am glad. I welcome it, even. I've been so encouraged by the authors pushing the state of "literary" fiction. GS, AM Homes, TC Boyle, and many newer voices (to me at least) in this year's BASS - Karen Brown's "Galatea" and Katie Chase's "Man and Wife." I met Ron Kesey at AWP NYC and much like these other voices, find that there is indeed room for more "surreal" literary fiction, magical realism, and language as well, curse words and sex, my LORD. :-) I will now read any GS wherever it pops up. And that's a good thing. Sometimes you just find a voice that resonates. Some other voices I've recently found that I'll just trot out there, Mary Gaitskill (Bad Behavior), she's been around, but new to me, but also Holly Goddard Jones (Girl Trouble) and Mary Miller (Big World). Check them out, if you haven't yet. Thanks Justin. Great article. Peace, Richard Finding this very late, but I just wanted to say fantastic article here Justin. I’ve recently gotten into Saunders, starting with “Puppy” which blew me away. Now “Al Roosten” and “Victory Lap” have wormed their way into my brain, and I am glad. I welcome it, even. I’ve been so encouraged by the authors pushing the state of “literary” fiction. GS, AM Homes, TC Boyle, and many newer voices (to me at least) in this year’s BASS – Karen Brown’s “Galatea” and Katie Chase’s “Man and Wife.” I met Ron Kesey at AWP NYC and much like these other voices, find that there is indeed room for more “surreal” literary fiction, magical realism, and language as well, curse words and sex, my LORD. :-) I will now read any GS wherever it pops up. And that’s a good thing. Sometimes you just find a voice that resonates. Some other voices I’ve recently found that I’ll just trot out there, Mary Gaitskill (Bad Behavior), she’s been around, but new to me, but also Holly Goddard Jones (Girl Trouble) and Mary Miller (Big World). Check them out, if you haven’t yet.

Thanks Justin. Great article.

Peace,
Richard

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-6987 pr Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:40:41 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-6987 James, I think we are in agreement on satire and compassion in general. I guess I find in this story an issue with a well known, famous writer, writing for the elite who read the New Yorker, writing about "simple folk". Ultimately, he finds his balance, and like I said, pours compassion all over them. But that educational and even class difference can be where he slips a bit for me, in the other direction. This is nitpicking maybe, so I feel sort of dumb pointing it out. But with Cheever, for instance (again, only some of his stories utilized elements of satire), he was always gently mocking his own kind. It's a bit more delicate when you mock "others". Anyway, great story, interesting discussion and Justin's piece rocked me off my chair. James, I think we are in agreement on satire and compassion in general. I guess I find in this story an issue with a well known, famous writer, writing for the elite who read the New Yorker, writing about “simple folk”. Ultimately, he finds his balance, and like I said, pours compassion all over them. But that educational and even class difference can be where he slips a bit for me, in the other direction. This is nitpicking maybe, so I feel sort of dumb pointing it out. But with Cheever, for instance (again, only some of his stories utilized elements of satire), he was always gently mocking his own kind. It’s a bit more delicate when you mock “others”. Anyway, great story, interesting discussion and Justin’s piece rocked me off my chair.

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-100616 pr Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:40:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-100616 James, I think we are in agreement on satire and compassion in general. I guess I find in this story an issue with a well known, famous writer, writing for the elite who read the New Yorker, writing about "simple folk". Ultimately, he finds his balance, and like I said, pours compassion all over them. But that educational and even class difference can be where he slips a bit for me, in the other direction. This is nitpicking maybe, so I feel sort of dumb pointing it out. But with Cheever, for instance (again, only some of his stories utilized elements of satire), he was always gently mocking his own kind. It's a bit more delicate when you mock "others". Anyway, great story, interesting discussion and Justin's piece rocked me off my chair. James, I think we are in agreement on satire and compassion in general. I guess I find in this story an issue with a well known, famous writer, writing for the elite who read the New Yorker, writing about “simple folk”. Ultimately, he finds his balance, and like I said, pours compassion all over them. But that educational and even class difference can be where he slips a bit for me, in the other direction. This is nitpicking maybe, so I feel sort of dumb pointing it out. But with Cheever, for instance (again, only some of his stories utilized elements of satire), he was always gently mocking his own kind. It’s a bit more delicate when you mock “others”. Anyway, great story, interesting discussion and Justin’s piece rocked me off my chair.

]]> By: james yeh http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-6984 james yeh Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:44:28 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-6984 pr, i agree: i don't think this is satire. this has satirical elements, but is ultimately complex. if anything, i think it might fall to the compassionate scale of the balance. i don't necessarily feel saunders himself is implicated when al roosten, for example, is berating the blond lady or the other guy. i feel the author distanced from that. roosten is flawed, but, as justin points out, "lovable", which is to say, i think, "sympathetic". i'm not really a fan of satire without some compassion to balance it because i don't feel like the author is really taking any personal chances there. there's no danger, because there's no love. the most effective "satire", i think, is satire that is serves not only as an indictment against the group or society being satirized, but ultimately against the author as well. that's when i think satire becomes complex, mysterious, transcendent. pr, i agree: i don’t think this is satire. this has satirical elements, but is ultimately complex. if anything, i think it might fall to the compassionate scale of the balance. i don’t necessarily feel saunders himself is implicated when al roosten, for example, is berating the blond lady or the other guy. i feel the author distanced from that. roosten is flawed, but, as justin points out, “lovable”, which is to say, i think, “sympathetic”.

i’m not really a fan of satire without some compassion to balance it because i don’t feel like the author is really taking any personal chances there. there’s no danger, because there’s no love. the most effective “satire”, i think, is satire that is serves not only as an indictment against the group or society being satirized, but ultimately against the author as well. that’s when i think satire becomes complex, mysterious, transcendent.

]]> By: james yeh http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-100615 james yeh Wed, 04 Feb 2009 16:44:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-100615 pr, i agree: i don't think this is satire. this has satirical elements, but is ultimately complex. if anything, i think it might fall to the compassionate scale of the balance. i don't necessarily feel saunders himself is implicated when al roosten, for example, is berating the blond lady or the other guy. i feel the author distanced from that. roosten is flawed, but, as justin points out, "lovable", which is to say, i think, "sympathetic". i'm not really a fan of satire without some compassion to balance it because i don't feel like the author is really taking any personal chances there. there's no danger, because there's no love. the most effective "satire", i think, is satire that is serves not only as an indictment against the group or society being satirized, but ultimately against the author as well. that's when i think satire becomes complex, mysterious, transcendent. pr, i agree: i don’t think this is satire. this has satirical elements, but is ultimately complex. if anything, i think it might fall to the compassionate scale of the balance. i don’t necessarily feel saunders himself is implicated when al roosten, for example, is berating the blond lady or the other guy. i feel the author distanced from that. roosten is flawed, but, as justin points out, “lovable”, which is to say, i think, “sympathetic”.

i’m not really a fan of satire without some compassion to balance it because i don’t feel like the author is really taking any personal chances there. there’s no danger, because there’s no love. the most effective “satire”, i think, is satire that is serves not only as an indictment against the group or society being satirized, but ultimately against the author as well. that’s when i think satire becomes complex, mysterious, transcendent.

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-6959 pr Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:39:04 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-6959 That said (wow, I'm really thinking in a very disjointed way -(sorry)- I think I may like your essay more than the story. What does that mean? That said (wow, I’m really thinking in a very disjointed way -(sorry)- I think I may like your essay more than the story. What does that mean?

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-100614 pr Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:39:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-100614 That said (wow, I'm really thinking in a very disjointed way -(sorry)- I think I may like your essay more than the story. What does that mean? That said (wow, I’m really thinking in a very disjointed way -(sorry)- I think I may like your essay more than the story. What does that mean?

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-6958 pr Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:22:59 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-6958 One thing- I feel he walk a tightrope of mocking his characters (this would be the satire) and yet compassion is poured all over them as well. It's a wonderful balance, but a balance nontheless. Occasionally, he falls to the side a bit, and his characters become too mocked for my taste. I don't like to feel the author's superiority (and it is something I struggle with in my own work, I feel). Mostly, he stays delicately wavering on that rope. He's awesome. One thing- I feel he walk a tightrope of mocking his characters (this would be the satire) and yet compassion is poured all over them as well. It’s a wonderful balance, but a balance nontheless. Occasionally, he falls to the side a bit, and his characters become too mocked for my taste. I don’t like to feel the author’s superiority (and it is something I struggle with in my own work, I feel). Mostly, he stays delicately wavering on that rope. He’s awesome.

]]> By: pr http://htmlgiant.com/author-spotlight/george-saunders-and-his-enormous-throbbing-heart-a-homily/comment-page-1/#comment-100613 pr Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:22:00 +0000 http://htmlgiant.com/?p=4077#comment-100613 One thing- I feel he walk a tightrope of mocking his characters (this would be the satire) and yet compassion is poured all over them as well. It's a wonderful balance, but a balance nontheless. Occasionally, he falls to the side a bit, and his characters become too mocked for my taste. I don't like to feel the author's superiority (and it is something I struggle with in my own work, I feel). Mostly, he stays delicately wavering on that rope. He's awesome. One thing- I feel he walk a tightrope of mocking his characters (this would be the satire) and yet compassion is poured all over them as well. It’s a wonderful balance, but a balance nontheless. Occasionally, he falls to the side a bit, and his characters become too mocked for my taste. I don’t like to feel the author’s superiority (and it is something I struggle with in my own work, I feel). Mostly, he stays delicately wavering on that rope. He’s awesome.

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