tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post2188565230941139025..comments2023-11-05T05:01:58.563-05:00Comments on Ward Six: Wood on Lit, Kirn on WoodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-33664877414035893332008-08-19T22:31:00.000-05:002008-08-19T22:31:00.000-05:00I strongly agree, JR.Regardless of what you think ...I strongly agree, JR.<BR/><BR/>Regardless of what you think of Wood, you have to admire the strength of his convictions. He wrote a fine book. It outlines the fiction he considers good, and - in plain, clear fashion - explains why. His arguments are cogent, and the examples used to back these arguments are very well selected. <BR/><BR/>He's also provocative, almost pugilistic. <BR/><BR/>Kirn's review was embarrassing. He acted the part of the baffled dignitary stuttering with outrage seconds after being slapped with a riding glove. I think it'll take a few weeks - if not longer - for the good stuff to make print.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I can't wait for DFW's response. I wonder if others - Delillo, Updike, Roth - will weigh in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-34988034112958528442008-08-19T19:52:00.000-05:002008-08-19T19:52:00.000-05:00Sometimes, that snooty professorial shit is just t...Sometimes, that snooty professorial shit is just the ticket. I mean, the man wants to be a self-styled expert, I am happy to let him. And if it sounds sometimes as though he thinks he's smarter than me, well, perhaps he is.<BR/><BR/>All that said, the book really is not stuffy--it's accessible and entertaining, and the fact that Wood goes out of his way to let you know that he's trying to do this, in my mind, doesn't detract from my enjoyment.<BR/><BR/>I'm sick of intelligent people pandering to conventional tastes and morals. Wood says what he thinks without giving a damn how insufferable he might be, and I respect him for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-3877534954895831622008-08-19T12:41:00.000-05:002008-08-19T12:41:00.000-05:00I read Kirn's car wreck of a review with fascinati...I read Kirn's car wreck of a review with fascination -- it makes you wonder what's up with Kirn, who's managed to reveal a lot more about his own anxieties and preoccupations than anything about Wood's book. I agree -- he really does need to get off his low horse! <BR/><BR/>I liked your review, by the way -- and I ordered Wood's book on the strength of it. I LIKE the flash of plaid, the references to the Iliad, the nod to Henry James, and even look forward to finding out what these things have in common with Peter Rabbit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-34689668639084538252008-08-19T07:36:00.000-05:002008-08-19T07:36:00.000-05:00What did Newsweek say?What did Newsweek say?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-47114627029460705492008-08-18T22:10:00.000-05:002008-08-18T22:10:00.000-05:00Between yours and Newsweek's review, I think I hav...Between yours and Newsweek's review, I think I have enough of an argument to go down to the local megastore and pick this up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2046663689477874544.post-64743821131886921772008-08-18T19:48:00.000-05:002008-08-18T19:48:00.000-05:00Good insights. I read the NYT review yesterday - i...Good insights. I read the NYT review yesterday - in spite of the critique, I was still compelled enough by what I read to want to read Wood's book, if only for the arguments.Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12235525041894772335noreply@blogger.com