The Big Stinkeye
by rsbakker
Definition of the Day: Literature: a form of fiction primarily concerned with the further inflation of already highly-pressurized egos. Once a social scourge responsible for innumerable cases of eczema and dandruff (and a fair amount of untoward head-scratching), it has now become a popular means of concealing public acts of masturbation. Sales of literary mass-market paperbacks have declined accordingly.
For those of you worried, Light, Time, and Gravity is already completed, and I am presently exploring a small press option. I’ve been back at The Unholy Consult for some time now, and will be for some time to come.
Disciple of the Dog continues to limp along. The latest review can be found here: http://www.dailyebookreviews.com/disciple-of-the-dog-by-r-scott-bakker
I gave Pat of Fantasy Hotlist fame a draft of The White-Luck Warrior several days back. My guess is that his review should be going up soon. He’s as much a stickler on spoilers as I am, so checking out what he has to say should be safe.
I would like to thank Ilya for posting that link (in the comments to the last post) to Edward Docx’s Guardian piece on the inferiority of genre fiction. I actually pulled together and sent a short article by way of rebuttal–which I will promptly post here if The Guardian’s review editor decides to pass on it.
Entitled, “The Myth of the Vulgar Cage” it details both the institutional conceit and the theoretical misconception that underwrites the literary notion of conventions and conventionality.
Since implicit rules are generally invisible, the tendency is to always think that the guy who follows explicit rules is the one constrained. Thus the conceit: literature is the home of unconstrained writing, whereas genre writers find themselves caged with the “simpler psychologies” (his term!) of genre readers.
The misconception turns on the characterization of conventionality as constraint, a conceptualization that entirely blots out the communicative dimension of conventions. There is no communication without constraint–end of story. Because of this, I suggest the specialty channel as an alternate metaphor, because it has the virtue of preserving the way in which conventions connect authors with specific audiences. Then I show just how ugly and fatuous Docx and his ilk look when considered through this alternate lense.
Among all the self-congratulatory myths that cripple literary culture, the vulgar cage has always been a stand out for me. For such an obviously inadequate conceptualization to be so universally embraced demonstrates just how prone humans are to camouflage their self-interest with stupidity. “Let’s just ignore all that pesky communication stuff, and look at conventions this way, because it makes me look so daring and smart!”
I mean, they just love their conventions so much, they just gotta be exceptional somehow. And besides, who wants to go through all the hard work of reaching out to popular culture? Sneering is just so much easier.
Speaking of sneering, I did my best to be polite in the article proper, even after checking out Docx’s website: if his photo gallery is any indication, the man really takes seriousness seriously.
“And besides, who wants to go through all the hard work of reaching out to popular culture? Sneering is just so much easier.”
🙂 Love it.
IN AREA NEWS: Author With Enormous Scarf Occupies Abandoned Chair In Plaza. Describes The Experience As “Textured”
lmao
But, but, but…
He’s wearing jeans and boots! Clearly he’s in touch with the workin’ man!
Mighta left your scratching your head. I was referring to this gem: http://www.edwarddocx.com/press/EdwardDocx3.jpg
Well, if I had the money I’d buy those clothes. I’d probably pose like that too, every so often. Mind you, then I’d do a karate stance shot after – why just wear one mask when it’s fun to play dress ups?
Wait, he’s not playing dress ups?
Pat’s been torturing us over at asoiaf for days, revealing virtually nothing — just enough to let the speculation fever begin.
Having never heard of Docx before, I google image’d – heh, yeah. Not far from at U2 album cover, staring off in the distance with heavy heavy thoughts.
As you can see by the responses on the Guardian website, people weren’t too impressed with what little argument he put forth. Glad it could provide you with something to think about, enough so even to prompt you to write a retort.
What’s shocking is just how irate people get when an artist deliberately uses successful, effective channels of communication and storytelling to make his or her story more popular. Just look at the vehement screaming backlash against Avatar for daring to use what was termed the “Dances with Wolves” or “Pocahontas” or “Fern Gully” story construction within an entirely new genre mileau.
But no one ever stopped to consider that a stranger arriving in a strange land and eventually becoming a leader of the native peoples is a western canon story so ancient that it dates back to Oedipus Rex and the very nascent beginnings of literature (so to speak, or at least, as it is currently studied).
No one ever pointed out that the bones of the story of Avatar are quite possibly one of the single most successful story structures in the history of humanity.
Instead, all the intelligent critics out there harped on three very different films that use the same structure, Fern Gully, Dances with Wolves, and Pocahontas.
Note how these are chosen, as well. All three are easily dismissable in modern intellectual circles, one is bad animated film, one is the film that beat Goodfellas (and had the gall to be POPULAR as well as resurrecting two completely extinct genres of film, the epic and the western–clearly it is horrendous… it beat Goodfellas!), and the last is a story we prefer to dislike today, or at least view through the lens of the white men desecrating the holy innocents nature loving care-free happy fun-time natives (all while ignoring the racist implications in the critical desire to see native Americans as somehow more ‘pure’ than the sullied by modern invention European invaders). But it’s ironic that instead of pointing to one single story that Avatar supposedly was a ‘remake’ of, critical consensus continually pointed to three different films that use the same communication channels and structures to best tell their story.
But clearly it was just a rip off because it made a lot of money it’s obviously bad. and because it was popular, Avatar just proves that people who like it have simpler psychologies.
I haven’t seen Avatar. But from what I’ve heard (and how else does one decide on purchasing an experience without actually going and buying / having the experience), it seems to be completely a repeat of prior successful patterns. I mean with Scott, he writes fantasy, sure, but it’s got this undercurrent of deviant thinking (relative diviancy). Even the early Simpsons had such undercurrents (I’m not sure about latter ones). From what I’ve heard, Avatar didn’t have that?
Scott,
An observation I’d make is that by frikkin with communication, since what the hell is being said is obscured, some people can see whatever they like. More to the point, they see what they want to see, and they like seeing that framed and printed.
Funny thing was, I started seeing this in table top roleplaying games.
BTW, gunna talk D&D some time? Or is your THAC0 not up to the task?
I read Docx’s article, and found myself agreeing with some of his points. I mean, have you ever read a Dan Brown book? It’s like putting your brain through a cheese grater. I’ve always been against burning books, but I seriously considered it after the first 10 pages of Angels and Demons…
The question Docx asks isn’t “why do people read genre?” The question he’s is asking is “Why are people reading Dan Brown instead of something worthwhile in the genre category?”
You know, like Neuropath?
Funny how you wouldn’t find the Dan Brown readers saying “I read something that isn’t worthwhile” – just like you wouldn’t say “I read something that isn’t worthwhile” when you read neuropath.
The feeling of ‘worthwhile’ is a feeling. Indeed, it’s a belief. Let’s hit the physically measurable stuff about the texts instead…
“I mean, they just love their conventions so much, they just gotta be exceptional somehow. And besides, who wants to go through all the hard work of reaching out to popular culture? Sneering is just so much easier.”
..but he said:
“Readers, publishers and writers alike can agree that John Grisham, Robert Harris, Tom Clancy or Danielle Steel build up their massive readerships by knowing precisely what they are doing; they are master practitioners of their highly skilled craft.”
…scuse