Emma

Another novel that sets up a similar problem to Possession is The Sea House by Esther Freud (I may have the name wrong as I haven’t actually read it, just had it described to me). I think it came out in 2003. Couldn’t agree more about Birdsong. Someone recommended it to me as being ‘the best novel they’d ever read’. The prose is so unsubtle it felt like I was walking through the book with concrete slabs attached to my feet. Do you have any favourite novels? I’m reading Howard’s End at the moment and it’s annoyingly brilliant - annoying cos I wish I had that kind of command over the English language.

Len

Yikes! Erm.. okay. I think when you start commenting on what makes a ‘competent’ writer you kind of open yourself up to criticism (and praise, as shown by JB - you do have your backers!) but if my tone was belligerent then I apol… actually, I don’t apologise at all - in a previous post you said that the initial reader who had a problem with the main character needed to ‘grow-up’: any (unintended) belligerence and high-handedness on my part had merely taken the cue from you.

You make the mistake of assuming that there’s a correlation between ‘writing prowess’ and ‘critical ability’ - there isn’t. James Wood is arguably the greatest critic alive yet his first novel - The Book Against God - wasn’t all that.

Sam

Sam,

I have no objection in being at the receiving end of criticism. What I take objection to is the manner in which you began your criticism which echoed disrespect on two points I made.

Such 'attacking methods' are fundamentals in inflammatory political leaflet writings which gave rise to my comments on that point.

We see things differently if you see my 'grow up' comment as belligerent and one that provides you with sufficient reason or excuse to reply in a belligerent manner.

You have no grounds for stating that I make the assumption that there is a correlation between 'writing prowess' and 'critical ability'. No such correlation was made. To put it more plainly I think one can be an excellent writer and a lousy critic. The opposite also applies, but here we are truly in the land of Opinions.

I have read some of your criticms on Members' works; this gave rise to my very last statement.

Len



<Added>

sorry - spelling of criticism. Well, it is past bedtime.

Len

I'd be grateful to know which of my comments on members' work gave rise to the assertion that I was 'trying to make a name' for myself, especially as I've only ever commented on work that I either liked or thought, IMHO, showed a lot of potential.

Sam

Sam,

I shall send you a WW email for I think that this question needs to be answered privately.

Lem

Sam, I did love Possession, though I also got very annoyed with it - it's such a big, messy beast I suspect most people have more than one reaction to it. And I'm glad someone else agrees with me about Faulks.

I think the last real hair-standing-on-end novel I read was Michael Cunningham's The Hours. Quite apart from the story/ies, the prose was just exquisite, and had me despairing of my own. Another novel comes into that category for me, but isn't well known, is Christopher Meredith's Griffri. All his stuff is very, very good - he's a poet too - but Griffri is absolutely stunning.

Emma

Hi,
I'm pretty new to all of this, but I felt I had to throw my hat into the ring on this particular subject. I have recently completed my first novel, and its entire purpose is to confront the standardised ideals and morals of the average person and force them to re-evaluate their ideas about what is "right" and "wrong".

In modern day society, people have a real habit of being unbelievably judgmental of the smallest misdemeanors, while in their minds, still finding ways of justifying some of the most hideous of crimes. All too often, because we don't want to face up to the presence of real evil in our midst, we insist on looking for the reasons behind the actions of those who would be referred to as monsters...

Perhaps they suffered at the hands of an abuser in childhood? Or are mentally unstable? Or have been let down by society in some way shape or form? My question is where do we draw the line and just recognise that sometimes people do bad things, and that rather than attemptng to justify these actions for the sake of our own comfort, we should recognise evil and in turn reject it.

Wow! This is starting to sound like a sermon. Getting back to the point, it fascinates me that a certain breed of people will find it difficult to respond to a character who does something as morally reprehensible as sleep with a married man, no matter how symathetically that character is written. However, present these same people with a sociopthic murderer with a history of mental illness or some other such "justification" for his/her actions, and they instantly connect and sympathise.

This was my intent in my own novel. To draw people into this bond with my exactly this type of character, whilst completely turning them against a secondary character, a married man who is basically good, but embarks on an affair that he is obviously manipulated into. Close to the end of the novel, I attempt to draw the reader's attention to their own double standards and use the sympathetic mureder to directly speak to them- asking them to climb out of their comfort zone and re-evaluate what they believe.

In short, if people find it difficult to respond to your MC because of their hopelessly close minded view of the world- perhaps you should call them on it?

I've just been reading Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. The main character is a serial murderer who only murders other serial murderers. I found him very sympathetic and likeable.

Frances

a serial murderer who only murders other serial murderers

That's a great idea.