Right now I am reading Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. It is a translation from the Norwegian.
Generally I don't like translations because you can't pinpoint a problem. Was it the author or the translator? But so far, by page 29, I've only found one problem so I think this one will be ok.
It is sooo hard to have such high standards. I know that my own writing would not survive my own criticism. However, I am not published, so there I draw the line and feel secure in my mediocrity.
Last month's book group book was Water For Elephants and it just did not measure up.
The book was all plot and it started to fall apart half way through. It was the kind of book that if you read it in one sitting just zooming through it because you are on a plane or at the beach, the plot moves you along. The speed actually makes you a happy reader because you aren't going slow enough to examine it. Upon close reading or discussion though one realizes that it just doesn't hold up. It totally frustrates me that this is the kind of book that gets popular and if you say you don't like it, people act like it is your problem, not the book's.
We discussed this in book group. There are a lot of books that if we read them outside of bookgroup, we all agreed that the books would be more enjoyable.
I think that close reading has come to mean being critical and picking it apart. Why can't we just enjoy stuff? Why does reading have to be an exercise? Can't we just have fun? After all, it is supposed to be my fun time.
Well, that's fine, but, that's why we have different genres. If you want to read just for fun, it is not Literature!! Why is that a bad thing? Literature here, (insert name for tosspot) "fun" fiction here.
I know the world will not agree with me, but I know my husband does and I'm sure most professors do.
