Saturday, April 29, 2006

Bit Of This, Bit of That

Best line about "quiet" books that I've read in a long, long time: Proponents of mimetic fiction will argue that real life is just a bunch of things that happen. But if fiction is going to be as boring as real life, what's the point in reading it?. Swarm of Beasts is reviewing a book I have not read, but I have had this reaction.

Best reaction to Kaavya's "photographic memory for passages, but not for authors and titles" defense: If you have photographic memory, and cannot discern your own thoughts from that of another writer's, DON'T become a writer! (Of course, part of the reason that it's the best is it's Meg Cabot. And part of the reason is I had just posted something similar in comments over at Bookshelves of Doom.)

Best thoughts about keeping on eye on what really is at issue: This is a victory not just for Megan, but for writers everywhere, affirming that an author's work and the voice she writes in, whether she writes YA or chick lit or the most sober literary fiction, belongs to her, and her alone -- an important point that got lost in the whole gleeful schadenfreude pile-up. But then Jennifer Weiner is always awesome. I am so tired of the "doesn't count because its not real fiction" or "doesn't count because it's fiction" or "doesn't count because all those books sound alike" arguments. Thanks to Jennifer for putting the focus on what is important.

Best comment by an author (Mo Willems), arguing that he is not "hot": Let me say for the record that I, categorically, am not hot. I am ‘luke-warm’ on a good day.In the interest of proper categorizing (you are a librarian, no?), I suggest a new sub-heading of “Ehh…” for me and other unfortunate ‘tepid men of children’s lit’ you may encounter in the future (in order of tepidity, obviously). In answer to Fuse # 8's Hot Men of Children's Literature.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

All excellent quotes! I love Meg Cabot, too. And I, too, am all in favor of the defense of fiction.