Re: JDS Film and TV
Graham Preston (ac109@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca)
Thu, 13 Nov 1997 21:12:29 -0600 (CST)
> I have no opinion on "The English Patient" as I've not read it, nor is
> it on my rather lengthy TO-READ pile. I've rarely heard anyone say
> they've found a novel tougher to read than "Gravity's Rainbow", but I'll
> take your word on this one.
Actually, I meant as in attention span. I thought that the "English
Patient" didn't draw me in as "Gravity's Rainbow" did. I think tEP
works better on screen- much like a lot of "epics". ("Ben-Hur" for
example.) Unlike tEP, "Gravity's Rainbow" had (as awful as this might
sound ) a charcter like Seaman Bodine that made be interested while
Caravaggio was extremely boring in print and on screen.
>
> I don't watch much TV and can honestly say I've never seen a single,
> complete episode of either "ER", "Homicide", or even (asbestos suit on
> here) "Seinfeld". Emmys mean little to me. But the National Book Award
> has been, as you stated, rather spotty, particularly in the last 15 or
> so years. The 1989 winner, "Spartina", was an example, I believe, of
> just how poor some winners of the NBA are and why I've come to have no
> faith in Award Committes anymore.
Well time to get out the DDT, because I usually don't care about the
awards but I do take note of them and curse the jury, committee, or
academy.
> in the Rye". Yes, Pynchon, perhaps, discourages mainstream readers from
> reading him word for word, but I think he's isn't as self-indulgent as
> you might think. (BTW--I thought "Seymour, an Introduction" was highly
> self-indulgent.) Any self-indulgence perceived about Pynchon, to me, is
> overridden by his accomplishments as an artist. He is in my estimation
> among the most challenging and rewarding of American novelists of this
> century--period. And for the record, I also subscribe to the Pynchon
> mailing list, and according to the latest stats provided by the list
> admins, Pynchon's list has nearly double the subscribers as does
> Bananafish--go figure.
>
Something strikes me as a little fishy. Pynchon is maybe the great
artiste of the last 30 years but let us not forget Salinger who has maybe
written one of the top 5 American Novels of the century (with "Gravity's
Rainbow" and maybe "The Crying of Lot 49"). The one thing that is
completely different between 2 writers (good, mediocre, Tom Clancy like)
is that the "art" that they present is different and therefore they may be
simmilar but I don't think you can rightfully compare (as in- Mr. X is way
better than Sgt. X) by a simple sentance. Further analysis (which I will
not do) and reasons would be needed. But one thing more: The extreme self
indulgence of Salinger and Pynchon is justified not by the accomplishments
but by the art.
BTW, right or wrong I still hold true to the notion that Stephen Crane is
the best novelist (writer) of the 19th century in America. Not that that
has anything to do with anything. I just thought I'd throw it out there
for the vultures to scrounge and pick apart my notion.
BTW again, Seymour still (and Holden) is the most intresting, gripping
character on any artform ever.
Graham
"Often criticized for doing something new, we've recorded an LP."
-Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds, sleeve notes for "Roger the Engineer"