Litcrit

[oloriel]

Dear Bernard Cornwell,

I really, really appreciate that you wrote a book set during the Viking invasions in England, and while it isn't high literature, it is enjoyable, but.
Please.
A ð is NOT a thorn.
A thorn looks like this: þ.
That is actually not hard to get right, because the original rune for thorn looks the same, only more angular, and why? Because it is supposed to depict a thorn on the stalk of, say, a rose. Hence the name, you see.
A ð is called an eth.
Why did you get that wrong? It destroyed a perfectly nice joke! Actually, you just shouldn't have explained the joke at all. The linguists get it anyway (and are annoyed by the mistake in the explanation), and the others - well, they'll survive; thousands of people have enjoyed Tolkien despite not getting the linguist jokes. Ok, you're no Tolkien, but still.

Yours, unamusedly,
The girl who has an unholy relationship with both þ and ð

- - -
In unrelated news - i.e., concerning a different novel:

Would you guys give a Booker Prize to a book that contains

a) the stylistic means of describing a person's looks by having the person describe what she sees in her reflection,
b) "She was a handsome woman of forty-five and would remain so for many years" - Oh yes, she's going to remain 45 for many years!
and
c) the stylistic means of describing a person's looks by having the main character philosophize about her,
d) THIS (directly linked to c)): "Her light blue eyes, her regular, slightly inurving teeth, her faultless skin, all gave off various types of sheen; her blonde hair looked almost dusty in comparison." [stress mine] - I would slap a fanfic writer for "various types of sheen", let alone a published novelist! "Various types of sheen", what's that supposed to mean? What kind of sheen? Either they're "all shining", or you describe the "various types", or you simply leave it out, but "various types of sheen" like that, that's just a crime against literature. And "gave off"? AUGH!

- so, would you?
Because they did.

Yes, I suppose the story itself is "important", and grave and wise in bits and not too bad as a whole, but the writing style is so painfully bad in so many places that it makes the baby Sol Stein cry. And me too.

Comments

[allamistako.livejournal.com]

If a book isn't readable, then it shouldn't recieve a prize.

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Well, perhaps I'm just a tad sensitized due to the Creative Writing seminar and all that, but while it isn't unreadable, I found my reading pleasure seriously hampered by stuff like that...

[allamistako.livejournal.com]

Exactly - if a book isn't enjoyable, the it shouldn't be awarded. It's typical german to declare books that arn't fun to read as "high literature"...

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

But it's an English book and got a British prize, so we're not the only idiots who do that ;)

[allamistako.livejournal.com]

True... *Damn* ;)

[satismagic.livejournal.com]

I suddenly feel much better about how I let my heroine in Atlantis *not* look into the mirror to describe her looks. Also, no types of sheen in Atlantis. Is that good or bad? ;-)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

That is excellent!

[fuchs.livejournal.com]

"makes the baby Sol Stein cry"

AHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!

and: no, I wouldn't, but things like that make me giddy nonetheless, because, hey, I can do better! so I could actually sell a book!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

See, I find it rather frustrating: If stuff with such obvious mistake is published and awarded a prestigious prize, how come I'm not rich and famous? *g*

[aervir.livejournal.com]

So, which Booker Prize winner was it?

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner.

[dawn_felagund]

*sporfle* Well, think of it as giving hope to those of us in the still-unpublished-novel-writing masses. Heck, if that tripe can get published....

And the thorn.... *facepalm* You had to mention that, didn't you? Now Feanor's head is spinning around furiously. :^P

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it's frustrating, too. If that tripe gets published, why are people who are at least as good (or, in fact, better) unpublished and unknown?

*patpats Fëany* Well, at least they're both dental fricatives? *doofy grin*

[arwensommer.livejournal.com]

... I see you're reading the book (books?) I lent you? *G*

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

The one book, yes. The other is for my Reading Course, so that's not your fault ;)
What about you and the Eyre Affair?

[arwensommer.livejournal.com]

Started it today! Am about half-way done! Pg 190 or so of 373!