In the new Puritanism, if a book is extremely readable (i.e. accessible) it's also just not good for you in the same way that a more taxing (i.e. boring, difficult, obscure) read would be. I have friends who are determined members of the 'eat your peas' school of literature.
Not me. Not ever.
I truly want to be entertained. We have little enough joy in life and if I can enter someone else's dream with their words and not have a Brechtian interruption every few seconds, that's just wonderful. (Brecht believed that if you were entertained by art, then you couldn't be a revolutionary. That was BAD. Thus, he proposed that art should shake you out of the trance of fantasy that you had signed up for. Art should be be 1) unpleasant and 2) remind you that you were NOT a passive human being seeking escape but rather a very UNHAPPY person whose escape just back-flipped on them. I think he reasoned that if you were left uncomfortable long enough, you'd take to the streets. Kind of like, Entertainment is the Opiate of the People. The problem with that? Well, where do I start? First, well, having fun and thinking about issues aren't mutually exclusive. Real art wakes people up AND entertains them. More compassion was awakened by Dickens' pleasing stories than ever by James Joyce's tres difficil prose detailing God-knows-what-because-I couldn't-bear-one-more-word of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Shakespeare was people pleaser. He was also brilliant. Sapphire's book Push, which, I will have you know I put on my favorite books list in 2001 (see my old READERVILLE page if you don't believe me), is both really difficult AND really gripping. You can do both.
Okay. My point is this. Women (and men) needn't beat themselves up for wanting good old fashioned escapist reading. What the hell? Do we really need more reminders of unhappiness than our many electronic tethers that remind us of the catastrophe's ability to ambush ordinary people in ordinary lives? Hello? Earthquakes, I.E.D's, Tsunami's, religious vendettas, need I name one more?
Okay, I still haven't gotten to my point, which is to say that sometimes a GOOD READ just speaks for itself. So instead of the usual song and dance, I will show you the cover to Megan Crane's novel and if you click on the link that follows it, you will be taken to her website and can read the first chapter for yourself. It just made me want to read more. YAY! The woman has a Ph.d. in literature and she's put it to great effect in Everyone Else's Girl, at least as far as the first chapter goes. I've already ordered the rest of those pesky pages in book form and am just waiting for the mail to get here. So, without further ado.
Now, click on this link, which should take you to her website, scroll down and start the first chapter yourself. See if you don't agree that this woman makes you want to get into your p.j.s and under the covers.
Right on, honeylamb.
Posted by: Julia Patterson | March 22, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Newest Advertising Tool
Discovered In Custom Flash Drives
USB drives are applied in daily life by individuals of
almost any age. School-age youngsters who're necessary to have them as portion of classroom supplies to corporate
executives, locate they are invaluable as an external supply of
computer memory. At this time, there is certainly yet another use for them as enterprise owners brand their
businesses with custom flash drives.
These devices have been about for some time, however the believed of
working with them with promotional marketing is somewhat new. The original
merchandise had limited capacity and style that created them less than desirable for this objective. With all the
alternatives out there at this time, having said that, it creates an opportunity to create a
organization a brand name at the same time as
acquiring a message out.
This form of advertising has develop into
really preferred,
specially for all those who own Net corporations. With written communication
virtually eliminated in favor of virtual options, the
use of these devices is now typical practice. An extra
asset is the fact that messages can be saved
even though not taking up a great deal of hard
-drive space.
Modern day custom usb
are accessible in
stunning styles and colors and can be imprinted with
messages or logos. Once they are specially constructed to
reflect a corporation, this really is an
great benefit. An example would be
having 1 shaped like a car which would immediately identify the
automobile industry as the source.
For those considering employing these USB people devices for promotional purposes, it's
crucial to order from a reputable
corporation. The promotional supplies
made use of by any corporation
ought to be representative of their top quality and trustworthiness. The last thing an entrepreneur desires would be to send out products that don't perform.
Posted by: Tricbrada | December 10, 2011 at 03:25 AM