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some people have GoT reviews, I have this
Apr. 21st, 2011 05:03 pmSalon writer Laura Miller is all about Greg Mortenson. Lying about being kidnapped by Taliban is "a bit irrelevant" and besides, he provides "a feeling of comradely motivation and a symbol of plucky American virtue." Oh, vomitorium, like that girl in Hanna says. I'm getting a little "not intended to be a factual statement" vibe from this whole thing. Readers don't react so positively: "He accused real people of being Taliban kidnappers. That's not inspirational." And "Confusing the Taliban with the people the Taliban are trying to take over and wipe out. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Bad." And my favorite, "Sorry, but fabrication for the sake of a moral crusade is how we got stuck in Iraq."
Hilariously Miller then backpedals out of her essay, so I guess her essay wasn't intended to be a factual statement either. What are we even doing here?
Also, LOL@Jennifer Weiner: "I don't think writers get to choose the kind of books they write. It's a function of upbringing, education, inclination." Always nice to see writers blame their choices on things beyond their power. It's like "I don't control my character! My character controls me!"
She's angry because Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer for The Goon Squad, apparently called chick lit "very derivative, banal stuff" - full context: "There was that scandal with the Harvard student who was found to have plagiarized. But she had plagiarized very derivative, banal stuff. This is your big first move? These are your models?... My advice for young female writers would be to shoot high and not cower." And J. Weiner's all "And there goes my chance to be happy that a lady won the big prize. Thanks, Jenny Egan. You're a model of graciousness." So on Twitter we now have anger that female writers bring each other down and consolations that commercial fiction and literary fiction are equally good and just write good books, readers will come and of course there's plenty of room to like everything! Don't worry! We all have a seat at the table!
On Bookslut, Michael Schaub points out that Weiner's written on her FAQ page, "Somebody actually asked me this at a reading once, at the Powell’s in Portland, which was not the main Powell’s in Portland, because Jennifer Egan was reading the night I was in town and not only is she a critical big deal, she also used to be a model, so which one of us do you think was going to get shunted off to the satellite store?" Ah, passive aggressive self-deprecation.
And I'm like, well, at least sf/f isn't the only "genre" that has this drama with "literary" fiction. Good Lord.
Hilariously Miller then backpedals out of her essay, so I guess her essay wasn't intended to be a factual statement either. What are we even doing here?
Also, LOL@Jennifer Weiner: "I don't think writers get to choose the kind of books they write. It's a function of upbringing, education, inclination." Always nice to see writers blame their choices on things beyond their power. It's like "I don't control my character! My character controls me!"
She's angry because Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer for The Goon Squad, apparently called chick lit "very derivative, banal stuff" - full context: "There was that scandal with the Harvard student who was found to have plagiarized. But she had plagiarized very derivative, banal stuff. This is your big first move? These are your models?... My advice for young female writers would be to shoot high and not cower." And J. Weiner's all "And there goes my chance to be happy that a lady won the big prize. Thanks, Jenny Egan. You're a model of graciousness." So on Twitter we now have anger that female writers bring each other down and consolations that commercial fiction and literary fiction are equally good and just write good books, readers will come and of course there's plenty of room to like everything! Don't worry! We all have a seat at the table!
On Bookslut, Michael Schaub points out that Weiner's written on her FAQ page, "Somebody actually asked me this at a reading once, at the Powell’s in Portland, which was not the main Powell’s in Portland, because Jennifer Egan was reading the night I was in town and not only is she a critical big deal, she also used to be a model, so which one of us do you think was going to get shunted off to the satellite store?" Ah, passive aggressive self-deprecation.
And I'm like, well, at least sf/f isn't the only "genre" that has this drama with "literary" fiction. Good Lord.
