[lit-ideas] Re: Is Huntington right?
- From: Paul Stone <pas@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 16:02:43 -0400
For Paul, I'll bet you haven't noticed all the efforts that were made to
get a book discussion going, both here and on phil lit. Mike and I were
the only ones discussing Sheltering Sky until David Meyer pulled the plug
on it. I've written on Hemingway, made sideways references to Joyce and
others.
I contributed along with a number of other people with a couple of book
group discussion on Phil Lit, one was nietzsche's BGAE and another was
Woolf's "to the lighthouse" . Those were fun. But this isn't really a book
group, and unless we manage to get a whole bunch of people reading the same
thing at the same time, a review now and then will have to suffice. My
initial response to Julie wasn't totally facetious, I really mean that it's
very interesting to see who reads what. I've read more than a few dozen
books that I originally heard of in one of this crowd's manifest groups.
No takers, not even for movies (how hard is it to watch a movie?).
I probably watch 30 movies a month and could discuss any of them. The
problem is, I don't like spoiling them for people who want to see them. I
also don't like writing movie reviews because they are generally hard for
me to do succinctly. I am often took critical of the way the movie plays,
rather than the story. The thing with a book is that other than the colour
of the page and ink, you ONLY have your imagination. Probably why I like
books so much. Still, it's easier to watch a movie which is why I watch so
many. I just don't see a lot of opportunity to discuss movies here because
I almost always see movies before most other people see them and so it's
hard for me to have a fresh perspective on each movie, unless I liked it or
hated it. Most movies are mediocre and forgettable and that's the ONLY
lasting impression I have.
People obviously don't like to talk about literature. It is a lot of work,
I agree. I get the feeling that people want someone to entertain them with
reviews and the like. Nobody wants to be bothered contributing.
I'll start writing one digested [book] review a week and try to make one
large one every so often. Again, as I've said repeatedly in the past, the
trouble with taking the time to write a review on a list such as this is
that often-times there is: A) REALLY no interest in it; b) there is
interest in it, people thank you but no one responds because no one else
has read it; or c) its posted at an ill-timed juncture when everyone in
here is already going balls-out on a Bush speech or a clinton bj or a war
or someone's religion.
So... every time I see a David Ritchie "Sunday" or "Wednesday" poem, I'll
try and remember to generate a little sumpin sumpin in the way of a book
review. Just to keep us on the straight, er.... reasonable and logical and
narrow.
p
##########
Paul Stone
pas@xxxxxxxx
Kingsville, ON, Canada
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