tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post5016458844967128731..comments2023-10-20T16:03:03.157+01:00Comments on Devouring Texts: Literary Blog Hop, September 8-11Laurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371636785566309578noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post-80383337885059607322011-09-10T16:11:56.338+01:002011-09-10T16:11:56.338+01:00I agree, a complex novel needn't be overly ver...I agree, a complex novel needn't be overly verbose. I recently read <i>Madame Bovary</i> and Flaubert employs very simple language to communicate complex ideas. So complexity doesn't have to be present in the style of the narrative to be present in a novel's themes and ideas that are brimming below the surface.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post-29996369531916548842011-09-09T23:16:09.001+01:002011-09-09T23:16:09.001+01:00One of my favorite Jane Austen quotes makes me lau...One of my favorite Jane Austen quotes makes me laugh because it pokes fun at the verbosity of some authors: "I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible." The idea that a more skilled writer will write unintelligible sentences just doesn't fly with me. Allowing for differences in style, generally speaking I think that more skill should equal the ability to communicate your ideas in fewer words. Like your Dickens/Steinbeck comparison. :)Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08151339860580266808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post-65176462044522014702011-09-09T05:11:50.612+01:002011-09-09T05:11:50.612+01:00His Dark Materials trilogy is the perfect example ...His Dark Materials trilogy is the perfect example of what I was trying to get at in my response (and I posted my review of the triolgy only the other day!).<br /><br />The challenge or difficulty in literary fiction is in the ideas and themes, not the prose which could be as easy to read as other types of fiction.Rebecca Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14144719070318640603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post-11866932182682047832011-09-09T01:59:08.079+01:002011-09-09T01:59:08.079+01:00This is such a multi faceted question that is also...This is such a multi faceted question that is also very subjective so it would be hard for me to answer, but I think you did a good job!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6275165298547340568.post-88464885809587935072011-09-09T01:33:47.317+01:002011-09-09T01:33:47.317+01:00I actually kind of want to try East of Eden becaus...I actually kind of want to try East of Eden because it looks complex (in content at least) but it doesn't have the clunky language of someone like Dickens. I think there's a place for Dickens, but he's not my first choice.Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16456600806188531803noreply@blogger.com