Comments on: The Joy of Reading Great Writing

By: Water for Elephants « General Lordisimo’s Apocalypse

Water for Elephants « General Lordisimo’s Apocalypse — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:00:20 +0000

[...] I just finished reading Sara Gruen’s circus novel, Water for Elephants. In consideration of my post on great writing yesterday I have to say the Ms. Gruen’s novel does not make the cut in its writing quality [...]

By: Nathaniel Lord

Nathaniel Lord — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:25:16 +0000

I agree with your comments about Dan Brown and The Da Vinci Code Evan. It had a compelling enough story to entertain a lot of people in a particular audience and it did that well. Also (and this can be said about a lot of books that I do not consider great pieces of writing) at least it got people to read, which I think of as being very important. All that being said I still think the book is a piece of crap and that Dan Brown is a pretty shitty writer. But then again I am a bit of a book snob and willing to admit it. If you like a book then don’t let anybody tell you you are wrong (because you are not wrong in choosing to like something) especially a book snob like myself.

By: Evan

Evan — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:53:00 +0000

It’s safe to say that great writing has layers of meaning and depth. Even if you can’t articulate it, you can sense it. This is the mark of a craftsman. When you can look at something created by another and sense an attention to detail and a mastery of the medium. You’re looking at the culmination of innumerable hours of honed genius manifested in a single piece of work.

As for The Da Vinci Code. I enjoyed it as it made an 11-hour car ride breeze by. Masterful? No, not really. It’s a mystery thriller. I don’t know many of those that crack into the “classic” category. Though the originality of Dan Brown has been questioned, the premise is compelling and fun. I would contend that if written by someone with more care and a more nuanced style, it could have been less ridiculous and probably a lot better. But, at the same time, it probably wouldn’t have been a best seller either. There was a trade-off. Dan Brown isn’t trying to write books that will be taught in classrooms 100 years from now. I think Dan Brown knows his audience, knows his genre, and created something that was perfect for both.

By: KeeneLordy87

KeeneLordy87 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:07:29 +0000

Having said that, I agree that financial success is not synonymous with greatness. Take any Michael Bay movie for example.

By: therantingstudent

therantingstudent — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:13:20 +0000

“For me reading is a great pleasure, but reading that great writing makes the pleasure so much more. ”

I agree. Good post, by the way.