I'm going to push back on this a bit. If you're an author seeking to be published and want to get a sense of what sells, or you just want to be more plugged into the zeitgeist, by all means read Hoover. I guess you should also listen to Joe Rogan for that matter and watch Fox News.
But I have a limited amount of time in my day. I don't consume art because it's culturally relevant. I read books and watch movies and listen to music because I genuinely enjoy these activities. I can't think of anything less enjoyable than spending my evenings wading through turgid prose as an anthropological exercise.
I don't think the Joe Rogan / Fox News comparisons are fair, but I do understand why someone who already reads extensively might find that the juice isn't worth the squeeze and prefer to carry on with reading what he likes! However, plenty of the chattering class have decided that it is worth their time to sneer and snub at CH and her readers; I think that's unjust and ill-informed. Because I'm very passionate about reading being a relevant art form that belongs to everyone, I also find it counter-productive. Thank you for reading and discussing, Ghost!
Rogan seems like a highly relevant comparison- he’s relevant to a lot of working class, down to earth people. The literati don’t like him, but as with Hoover, that’s often elitism, not full consideration. Ken Burns was on recently- it was a great conversation. The thing about Rogan is that he’ll talk to all kinds of people- plenty of them don’t appeal to me, and I don’t hang around. But his openness to people from multiple walks of life with multiple perspectives is also what makes him admirable- Check out his fascinating conversation with Jewel or Harvard professor Rebecca Lemov.
Or, you could just re-read the old tried and true classics. I just started "The Idiot." It's been a long time since my first reading, but I know I won't be disappointed. Lots of good sentences.
Thank you. There are so many great central European writers who we never hear about (only Joseph Conrad.) Here is one for you: Halldor Laxness "Independent People". He is from Iceland.
You sold me. I’m gonna take Hoover for a test drive. Reminds me of the way women’s films of the 40s/ 😏50s were dismissed as melodrama, then reexamined by 70s feminist scholars and found to have both artfulness and voice the complexity of female experience- Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis. Pop? Sure. Trash? Not so much.
That's a great analogy. It's also worth thinking about the dismissal of sentimental women's lit in the 19th c., for example, Uncle Tom's Cabin and others. Give Hoover a go and report back! I'm looking forward to diving into Woman Down.
I read a novel because it’s a good book, like Crime and Punishment or Death Comes for the Archbishop. I don’t read a novel to follow a trend or get in touch with the working classes.
Interesting. I don't think Hoover is a trend, in the same way I don't think Stephen King is a trend. Both are just banger storytellers and I'm hooked on them!
Thanks for this. Worth pondering, yes. Worth pandering? I can’t see the chattering classes seeing the difference, but then again the duty of the real writer is often at odds with that of the hack chatterer; the one’s report on what’s actually in front of them being anathema to whatever the so-called literati feel ought to be found.
I'm going to push back on this a bit. If you're an author seeking to be published and want to get a sense of what sells, or you just want to be more plugged into the zeitgeist, by all means read Hoover. I guess you should also listen to Joe Rogan for that matter and watch Fox News.
But I have a limited amount of time in my day. I don't consume art because it's culturally relevant. I read books and watch movies and listen to music because I genuinely enjoy these activities. I can't think of anything less enjoyable than spending my evenings wading through turgid prose as an anthropological exercise.
I don't think the Joe Rogan / Fox News comparisons are fair, but I do understand why someone who already reads extensively might find that the juice isn't worth the squeeze and prefer to carry on with reading what he likes! However, plenty of the chattering class have decided that it is worth their time to sneer and snub at CH and her readers; I think that's unjust and ill-informed. Because I'm very passionate about reading being a relevant art form that belongs to everyone, I also find it counter-productive. Thank you for reading and discussing, Ghost!
Rogan seems like a highly relevant comparison- he’s relevant to a lot of working class, down to earth people. The literati don’t like him, but as with Hoover, that’s often elitism, not full consideration. Ken Burns was on recently- it was a great conversation. The thing about Rogan is that he’ll talk to all kinds of people- plenty of them don’t appeal to me, and I don’t hang around. But his openness to people from multiple walks of life with multiple perspectives is also what makes him admirable- Check out his fascinating conversation with Jewel or Harvard professor Rebecca Lemov.
Or, you could just re-read the old tried and true classics. I just started "The Idiot." It's been a long time since my first reading, but I know I won't be disappointed. Lots of good sentences.
I personally recommend doing both. ;-) Thank you for reading, Charles!
I highly recommend László Krasznahorkai
Thank you. There are so many great central European writers who we never hear about (only Joseph Conrad.) Here is one for you: Halldor Laxness "Independent People". He is from Iceland.
I hope I can find it translated to Spanish. Thank you for the recommendation.
My library has the audiobooks in Spanish. Buena suerte!
You sold me. I’m gonna take Hoover for a test drive. Reminds me of the way women’s films of the 40s/ 😏50s were dismissed as melodrama, then reexamined by 70s feminist scholars and found to have both artfulness and voice the complexity of female experience- Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Bette Davis. Pop? Sure. Trash? Not so much.
Love the pop/trash distinction!
That's a great analogy. It's also worth thinking about the dismissal of sentimental women's lit in the 19th c., for example, Uncle Tom's Cabin and others. Give Hoover a go and report back! I'm looking forward to diving into Woman Down.
I read a novel because it’s a good book, like Crime and Punishment or Death Comes for the Archbishop. I don’t read a novel to follow a trend or get in touch with the working classes.
Interesting. I don't think Hoover is a trend, in the same way I don't think Stephen King is a trend. Both are just banger storytellers and I'm hooked on them!
That's too bad.
Thanks for this. Worth pondering, yes. Worth pandering? I can’t see the chattering classes seeing the difference, but then again the duty of the real writer is often at odds with that of the hack chatterer; the one’s report on what’s actually in front of them being anathema to whatever the so-called literati feel ought to be found.
100%!