Comments for letterbyletter: composing life.

Comment on My clever friends. by Veronica

Veronica — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 03:43:13 +0000

How’d I miss this thoughtful promo? Thanks!

Comment on Once upon a time . . . by Mark V

Mark V — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:38:36 +0000

It is a truth universally held that a zombie in possession of brains will be in want of more brains.
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Comment on The Magician = meh by Zack

Zack — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:19:52 +0000

Man, that sounds like a terrible book, like Grossman felt his story of a meandering and purposeless magician was an excuse to write a meandering and purposeless novel.

Comment on Reading and such. by Zack

Zack — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:17:16 +0000

When the aim of the novel (or at least one of its aims) is to grapple with moral choices in a realistic universe, I have difficulty accepting a story that pits opposing views against each other in a didactic fashion simply to allow one – the one corresponding to the author’s worldview – to come out on top. I’d rather read a book whose author is genuinely struggling to understand what it means to live morally in the world by using literature to hit their own ethical system where it’s most vulnerable.

I guess what I’m saying is I want every novel to be The Brothers Karamazov. Is that too much to ask?

Comment on Reading and such. by Amber

Amber — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:15:12 +0000

That’s a good point, though I still can’t help but think that the author could have kept that “muddied morality” without sounding so didactic on either side of the issue.

Also, do you really think that straightforward portraits of a certain ethic must always be “juvenile and less accomplished literature”?

Comment on Reading and such. by Zack

Zack — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:09:41 +0000

Thanks for drawing that out, Amber. It’s difficult sometimes to get out of the mindset of seeing moral literary themes as cut and dry exhortations for a particular ethic, as they tend to be in juvenile and less accomplished literature. Here the writer appears to put a moral good – the search for the truth – up against the allure of a good lie. In the end lets the tension remain, just as it must in real life. Think of it, even cut and dry moral literature couldn’t function without taking some liberties with the truth in order to cut out the gray and leave only black and white behind. Glad the author decided to keep the muddied morality, sounds like a good read.

Comment on Our life is no dream. by Veronica

Veronica — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:44:58 +0000

You’re right, Zack, you’re right.
And Amber, I like reading your posts. Always a bit of the unexpected, and a lot of the thoughtful.

Comment on Our life is no dream. by Zack

Zack — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:47:08 +0000

My life may be no dream, but my WIFE sure is! Huh!? Huh!? Am I right, people?

Thanks for sharing the quote, it’s a favorite of mine as well.

Comment on Our life is no dream. by amanda

amanda — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:42:50 +0000

Thanks for sharing; I would like to have this (faith-full?) attitude about death-that it is “just a portal to more life”. I will try to recall Novalis’ beautiful quote, especially during that scary time right before sleep, where death seems so imminent & dark.

Comment on This. This is modernism. by letterbyletter

letterbyletter — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 20:20:30 +0000

Thank you, Kari. I had heard the news.