Friday, January 21, 2011
Literary Quality
This is an interesting term to attempt to define and seems, at best, flexible. I mean sometimes the books that we expect to hold to certain standards surprise us in the way that they avoid and elude those standards. I love books that think outside of the box in terms of story and style; they take a plot that seems unlikely but entertains us through creativity. Much like my point about good fantasy being the proper escape from reality; sometimes good literature can be the proper escape from standard formats. I do think though, that a piece of literary quality has a compelling story that is told in a clear voice (another way is to have multiple voices that are so distinctintly interesting that just one clear voice would seem silly). There must be a setting that we can see, or feel, or want to see and feel. I also think that the literary quality often revolves around a character-driven story. Certainly, a lot of books get by on a clever or creative plot; but we resonate with the character and their experiences more than we do with a plot. Thus, I think a good book contains some of these things and always, always, always... a quality piece of literature transports me. To its time and place; or its line of thinking; or any number of other possibilities. If I am completely the same after reading it; why should I have read it at all?
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"I think we ought to read only the kind of books that wound and stab us. If the book we are reading doesn't wake us up with a blow on the head, what are we reading it for? ...we need the books that affect us like a disaster, that grieve us deeply, like the death of someone we loved more than ourselves, like being banished into forests far from everyone, like a suicide. A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us" -- Kafka, Wikiquote -- http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka
ReplyDeleteCouldn't help but think of Kafka's quote when you asked your poignant question of why we read, Scott. An interesting phenomenon is how rereading a book can also teach you a lot about yourself. Was reminded of this listening to JD Salinger's biographer, Slawenski, today who read Catcher at 14 and 45 -- http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-01-26/kenneth-slawenski-jd-salinger
Hey Scott, I've got a hunch about the missing blog posts on our Netvibes Dashboard.
ReplyDeletePlease add Bookhenge to your title for your "Literary Quality" post for a test.
Notice how your first post shows up on the dashboard but the second ones doesn't? That could be the difference.
Thanks!