PERPETUAL FOLLY

Open City is closed =(

2012-05-29T21:30:00.377-05:00

Open City is closed =(

I don't agree with Cliff or Margaret here. On...

2012-05-29T09:15:51.359-05:00

I don't agree with Cliff or Margaret here. One fact about myself which is probably connected with me being an aspie is that often I involuntarily see words spelt in my mind when I say and hear them. The spelt version in my mind is always "alright" so I fully support this usage. That's obviously not a persuasive argument, but it is an explanation of how I've reached my point of view.

But the logical conclusion of Cliff's position is that language should never change. The phrase "all right" is not descriptively accurate because when someone says "That's all right", they mean that the situation is ok. They do not mean "All of that is right". So it's misleading to put the word "all" into the phrase.

Regarding who/whom hiccups I'd go further than Margaret. Unless the character is meant to be extremely well-educated or pedantic, it would generally be very bad style to have the character use "whom" in a sentence -- hardly anyone uses it in speech.

Paul Epstein

I like the story a lot, and even the ending. A hap...

2012-05-28T22:44:55.032-05:00

I like the story a lot, and even the ending. A happy pne for a change!

I can be a crank about ths. I will mark it every s...

2012-05-28T18:34:42.677-05:00

I can be a crank about ths. I will mark it every single time in a workshop manuscript, even though the discussion is more properly concerned with content. I'll let your Decorative Capitals slide (for now), maybe even your who/whom hiccups, especially if it's in dialogue. But not "alright." "Alright" is not just informal, it's wrong

I wouldn't use "alright" even in tha...

2012-05-28T11:13:41.646-05:00

I wouldn't use "alright" even in that case. The pronunciation is the same as "all right," so why spell it differently in dialogue? As for okay or OK, it's been around since the mid 19th C, so maybe it wouldn't be anachronistic to use for 1900.

I don't think I would use it in the narrative ...

2012-05-28T10:50:47.745-05:00

I don't think I would use it in the narrative voice, but I do use it in dialogue. It occurs a lot among the younger characters of my novel, set in 1900 Prague in places where OK would have been correct for contemporary characters, but the latter felt anachronistic compared to alright.

I'd be interested in your take on the story on...

2012-05-26T13:29:24.572-05:00

I'd be interested in your take on the story once you've had a chance to read Nabokov's. I guess Moore's certainly is an homage because it was quite interesting for me to re-read Nabokov's piece and see how it is 'explicitly' inspired, as Moore put it in her interview. (And thanks for your weekly notes on New Yorker stories; your 'reviews' in addition to the magazine's author interviews can be quite helpful in better appreciating some pieces.)

This might be one of the best stories so far this ...

2012-05-23T09:09:28.251-05:00

This might be one of the best stories so far this year.

Certainly a strong contender for the coveted "NYorker Story of the Year".

Here is what I wrote in my blog about the Nabokov ...

2012-05-22T20:59:19.217-05:00

Here is what I wrote in my blog about the Nabokov story:

Parents of an "incurably deranged" son purchase an "innocent trifle" to take to their son in the "sanitarium" only to arrive to find out that he has again attempted suicide. They are turned away because their visit "might disturb him."

In this 3rd person POV story, it is all telling or narration. We do not see the boy in the hospital. A distance is maintained but instead we see people who must somehow move about in the world. They are still alive and attempt to understand and find the smallest pleasures. It is a really great story about just putting one foot in front of the other no matter how horrible the world is.

After this story, Nabokov published several dozen more stories at the New Yorker. And, evidently, the story was also sometimes titled, "Signs and Symbols."

FAVORITE SENTENCE: "Still reading, he ate the victuals that needed no teeth."

Jay, thanks for the comments about the Nabokov sto...

2012-05-22T12:59:45.490-05:00

Jay, thanks for the comments about the Nabokov story and for the link. I look forward to reading it.

The Nabokov story actually isn't behind the pa...

2012-05-22T08:34:55.678-05:00

The Nabokov story actually isn't behind the paywall:

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1948/05/15/1948_05_15_031_TNY_CARDS_000214135

It's a fantastic story, one of his best, in my opinion. Note that the story was published under the title, "Symbols and Signs" in the magazine, but Nabokov changed it to "Signs and Symbols" when he published it in his own collection. There were a few minor editorial changes, I believe (paragraph breaks or a couple added sentences), but the one on TNY website is pretty much the same story, for all intents and purposes.

I haven't read the Lorrie Moore, but I'll be sure to pick up a copy when it hits newstands. I really like Moore a lot, and I'm curious to see what she's done with one of my favorite stories as a direct model. Nabokov is a writer I wouldn't ordinarily think of as an influence of hers.

I read it as a play on the conventions of romantic...

2012-05-18T14:51:36.723-05:00

I read it as a play on the conventions of romantic fairy tales, which I think might make it a more palatable experience to folks who don't care much for either passive verbs or passionate endings.

That said, I don't think Meloy has any qualms in general about "to be." If I remember correctly, it's pretty common in her collection.

Loved it. I have no negative criticism. Liked it e...

2012-05-15T00:17:01.481-05:00

Loved it. I have no negative criticism. Liked it enough to google and see what had been posted about the story. After 2 years, "Elton Wentworth" now gets a few hits on the net!

I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award: h...

2012-05-10T17:58:33.350-05:00

I nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award:
http://hankrules2011.wordpress.com/2012/05/10/versatile-blogger-award/
Cheers!

"I never enjoy stories written by a man from ...

2012-05-10T11:40:41.603-05:00

"I never enjoy stories written by a man from the woman's point of view."

I find this to be an extraordinary statement. Never? Do you think it's not possible to write the "other"?

Although I enjoyed the writing the situation is so...

2012-05-10T11:30:03.551-05:00

Although I enjoyed the writing the situation is so pre-feminist era it was difficult to read. I am SO glad the 60's happened and made all women better for it. I also disagree that he was in he 'mind' of a young brainy female, I never enjoy stories written by a man from the woman's point of view. When I was 21 which was just about 1972 I never would have slept with a guy with that body! I see huge traces of "Educating Rita" in this story perhaps that is why I envisioned Caning as Michael Caine.

This was a great story. Beautiful sentences, beaut...

2012-05-06T12:06:57.817-05:00

This was a great story. Beautiful sentences, beautiful imagery. In terms of plot, I shared your dilemna: either they make it or they don't. Also, I soon realized that if they made it, then the story would have to be based on historical events, whereas if they did not make it, McCann could have more liberty to invent. In any case, I think the movement of the story has more to do with what's happening in the characters' heads, so the drama was still keenly felt by me. The war imagery at the very end felt forced, however, so such as extent that he made a few over-obvious plays (Nein! Nein!). Just being in that plane, in that time period, on that mission, was plenty of life-or-death for me, and it carried the story

I'm Italian, but i studied chinese lovesickne...

2012-05-02T12:33:07.982-05:00

I'm Italian, but i studied chinese
lovesickness

red beans born in the south,
when spring comes it sands out a few of them
hope you pick a lot (of them),
this is the best sign of our love

LOVE the cover. I enjoyed In An Uncharted Country ...

2012-05-01T13:18:19.975-05:00

LOVE the cover. I enjoyed In An Uncharted Country and look forward to this one :)

Cliff. I'm probably a daylate and a dollar sh...

2012-04-29T22:23:05.625-05:00

Cliff.
I'm probably a daylate and a dollar short, but thanks for this invaluable list.hestam erider

H no, what would have been a whole heck of a lot m...

2012-04-27T00:53:44.337-05:00

H no, what would have been a whole heck of a lot more interesting is if he would have used a real book. Jeez, go out and find a real book maybe that nobody's read and then use it. Plato, truth, beauty?

By the end of page two I found myself wanting to p...

2012-04-25T02:17:52.383-05:00

By the end of page two I found myself wanting to put Greta, Renee, and Luna in a blender. I didn't care about any of them. Also, Kromer should have been charismatic, even in the sleazy way that girls hate to admit intrigues them. Not so here. A lot of detailed words but I didn't feel swept up in Kromer's mind, imagination, lust, or lack thereof. ZZZzzzz.....

'scuse me, meant to say "McEwan."

2012-04-24T20:21:13.023-05:00

'scuse me, meant to say "McEwan."

This was one of the better stories I've read l...

2012-04-24T20:19:05.584-05:00

This was one of the better stories I've read lately in the New Yorker. I thought the way the characters were drawn, esp. the duplicity of the "older man," was painfully believable.McGregor's ability to get into the mind of a young, brainy female university student was spot on. Sure, this may be a hackneyed,even predictable story, but I cared about Serena and came away wanting to know more about her. The story resonated past the ending, which, to me, is the definition of good writing.

Excellent tips. A few years ago my husband was fu...

2012-04-20T16:23:05.859-05:00

Excellent tips. A few years ago my husband was furious, he composes music on the computer and lost a ton of stuff when the thing overheated and fried the system. We lost some pictures too but thank heavens we had most of them also on a CD, so not all were gone for good.
For sure this is a good reminder, something to do on a day when your mind is feeling a block for motivation for other things anyhow, mark your calendar to remind yourself in a few months to do it again (or however often) but yup, do not get caught with nothing backed up it is a terrible feeling.