November 14, 2013

"It’s possible that the myth of the lone genius on his crag is so romantic that readers, authors, and critics can’t help but subscribe to it, at least somewhat."

"I don’t care for it a bit myself, and subscribe instead to the Edward Lear view: 'You earnest Sage! aloud they cried, your book you’ve read enough in!/We wish to chop you into bits to mix you into Stuffin’!')"

From an essay by Maria Bustillos about whether book reviewers ought to be nice.

5 comments:

Bob R said...

For they've been to the Lakes, and the Torrible Zone,
And the hills of the Chankly Bore!'

Old Ed knew a thing or two.

southcentralpa said...

See also Paul Fussel's essay "Being Reviewed...", which I believe is in the Boy Scout Handbook and Other Observations ...

southcentralpa said...

Or for the lazy, it's also here: http://thepmi.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/fussell-1982.pdf But almost any Fussell book will richly reward the reader ...

Sam L. said...

The acid tongue licks hungrily at books. As doth the sweet tongue. Reviewers should say what they think, and we can figure out which they are, and calibrate them.

Biff said...

If you've created a work of genius—you didn't do that. Somebody else made that happen.