tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post7738661902572127110..comments2024-03-28T06:05:17.085-04:00Comments on THE READING APE: Performed Indignation in The Book Site That Must Not Be Namedthe Apehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14060965283007759623noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-16512980842657486382013-06-10T22:01:20.142-04:002013-06-10T22:01:20.142-04:00Apart from this, it's that you need to do on y...Apart from this, it's that you need to do on your current path. Today, the manufacturers have come out with electric Lemon Law Used Cars. And pledges of cash keep on coming despite the fact the full text for the book will be given away free on the blog-of-the-book. In most instances, you don't have to pay for these electricity bills.<br />You won't be able to make the system work again. This is where you are, where to avoid and where to go.<br /><br />Feel free to visit my webpage - <a href="http://technorati.com/people/RodrigoSim/" rel="nofollow">Orlando Used cars</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-83914222528243258612011-06-19T12:14:06.474-04:002011-06-19T12:14:06.474-04:00Zadie Smith does not have an MFA. She had an Engli...Zadie Smith does not have an MFA. She had an English degree from King's College. As Fowler should know because she was at King's too.pointoffactnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-84306962280292116922011-06-17T16:14:03.212-04:002011-06-17T16:14:03.212-04:00I had to go look at the post - and was appalled.
...I had to go look at the post - and was appalled. <br /><br />People who write or speak about others with that kind of snarky, condescending tone and with such heartfelt unkindness don't last long in the professional world. I notice that none of the jobs on Ms. Fowler's "life experience" resume are professional (doctor, lawyer, teacher/professor, military officer, some business executives). "Customer service" - tending bar, driving, even being a stripper - requires a somewhat different skill set; but that post didn't even reach the courtesy level that I expect from a clerk at the local grocery store. <br /><br />Perhaps Ms. Fowler hasn't had the opportunity to develop a professional approach to others or to the adult world. In principle that's okay: not everyone is a professional, or needs to be. (I'm thinking of the boatswain's mates on the Staten Island Ferry and the guy I saw raking asphalt at a nearby road construction site, here.) It's unfortunate for her, though, because an unprofessional approach will eventually limit her contacts in the writing, journalism and publishing worlds - which is where she seems to want to be.<br /><br />I hope that the responses to her post will eventually provide Ms. Fowler with an opportunity for reflection, self-evaluation, and personal/professional growth. I'm sure she has an excellent mind, and it would be nice to see her put it to better use.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-28253648883611001072011-06-16T20:47:33.149-04:002011-06-16T20:47:33.149-04:00I'm so happy you picked this apart in a profes...I'm so happy you picked this apart in a professional and coherent way, Ape. I read Ruth Fowler's HuffPo rant and was appalled with it's hypocrisy. Upon completion I took away two things: one - Fowler is angry she isn't as successful as Obreht and two - Fowler is angry she isn't as privileged as Obreht, something that prompted her career as a stripper. Apparently the level of class she learned while dancing on poles has translated into her writing.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10780185535345559390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-16202497620254885182011-06-16T19:44:26.398-04:002011-06-16T19:44:26.398-04:00I agree with you Ape. But let's say Paulo Coel...I agree with you Ape. But let's say Paulo Coelho. You can't really separate the man from the work because there is such an agenda behind it. I agree that we need to maybe keep it professional though.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11483490020980574428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-3737630967863461692011-06-16T19:15:05.514-04:002011-06-16T19:15:05.514-04:00Wendy-
Thanks and I thought your take was remarkab...Wendy-<br />Thanks and I thought your take was remarkably sane.<br /><br />Readersquest-<br />So it sounds like I need to check that book out. The snippets you've posted are amazing. <br /><br />JM-<br />And, as I think I implied, it's easier to attack a person than a work. You don't have to do any analysis, any criticism, any intellectual effort beyond name-calling. <br /><br />Amanda-<br />Well said. <br /><br />Rebecca-<br />That's really interesting. I haven't noticed such a pattern, but I haven't read all that many reviews. When I finish the book, I am going to look at some reviews with fresh eyes. <br /><br />Amy-<br />No real reasons is right. There are reasons, but nothing anyone can take seriously.<br /><br />Picky-<br />I wish wish wish I could ignore that site. I can't seem to let it go and I check in there once and again and just get pissed off. <br /><br /><br />Ellie-<br />I don't even know if it's a question of being polite but of having enough respect for literature as to take the work seriously and think rigorously. <br /><br /><br /><br />Becky-<br />My first thought was jealousy too, but who knows. Though, when you don't offer good reasons for such vitriol, people are going to try and reverse engineer your motivation.<br /><br />BooksaremyBFs-<br />Her reasoning is so general as to be absurd and her binary between experience and craft is bogus. Probably just better to move along, now that I've gotten my frustration down in text form. <br /><br />Greg-<br />So right and your post was really interesting. Why yoke these two together? They don't have anything in common except one superficial experience that is so distasteful to this writer that she can't see how they are radically different. <br /><br />Kinna-<br />I still can't believe she didnt finish the book and still had the temerity to write this. Unbelievable. <br /><br />Ben-<br />I do have a problem with crucifying a writer. Why do we need to do such violent attacks? And why against the writer and not the work? That's what I am getting at--if we keep it to the work then we all will benefitthe Apehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14060965283007759623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-13580219815561929972011-06-16T16:38:29.756-04:002011-06-16T16:38:29.756-04:00I don't have a problem with crucifying a write...I don't have a problem with crucifying a writer in a public place in itself, but you have to have valid reasons and valid arguments. If you haven't read fifty pages of the book and aren't ready to dissect what you didn't like about it (like Ape is doing here),well...people are going to point out jealousy as a motive. Fowler is a writer herself and hasn't received half of Obreht's attention this year. Me thinks she used a public outlet to vent her jealousy because she thinks she's a better writer. Unfortunately for her, that essay does a poor job at proving her point.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11483490020980574428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-117580862908106012011-06-16T14:50:50.126-04:002011-06-16T14:50:50.126-04:00Oh, she sounds quite bitter. She lost me after ad...Oh, she sounds quite bitter. She lost me after admitting she only read the first 50 pages. At least finish the book. It might be torture but finish it, if you intend to diss it. But then, the piece was not about the book, was it? Thanks for your excellent commentary.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-88953924670527418532011-06-16T13:34:27.318-04:002011-06-16T13:34:27.318-04:00The one that killed me is "And so back to Tea...The one that killed me is "And so back to Tea (who should be friends with Zadie)..." or something along those lines which I'm too lazy and unwilling to stir myself into a rage again by going back to quote accurately. Two women. Two MFAs. Two generally well-received novels, that couldn't be more different. Why should they be friends? So they fit neatly into Fowler's tortured over-generalization? <br /><br />Thanks for this, Ape - you are the articulate, reasonable conscience of all of us!Greg Zimmermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122230426442946518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-75976747819391084162011-06-16T12:29:10.711-04:002011-06-16T12:29:10.711-04:00I've been done with BSTMNBN for a while now bu...I've been done with BSTMNBN for a while now but was enraged again yesterday with some stupid post entitled "What Women Want" - because you know, we are all exactly the same. Of course, they are clearly not the only ones to overuse this stupid stupid phrase, but still. Sick of it.<br /><br />I haven't read The Tiger's Wife and am not all that eager to do so for various reasons, but come on - if you've got a beef, at least be logical about it.<br /><br />Stop holding up young, female writers as "what is wrong with writing and an MFA program." Heck yeah, I've edited writers with MFAs who seriously needed a grip on reality, but I've also edited manuscripts by 60-year-old men who needed the same. <br /><br />Blah blah blah. *annoyed*pickyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01906861942472773405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-71342546385167629522011-06-16T11:51:43.770-04:002011-06-16T11:51:43.770-04:00Fantastic post. The original article was terrible ...Fantastic post. The original article was terrible and yes, you say it all so well so I won't try to elaborate. Polite is the key I think, no need to bash the author or go on about the MFA program with no real reasons other than, I agree, what sounds like jealousy!Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18102250492155489672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-33117996016695017212011-06-16T09:12:25.435-04:002011-06-16T09:12:25.435-04:00*steps on feminist soapbox*
There's been a ta...*steps on feminist soapbox*<br /><br />There's been a target on Obreht's back since she made last year's "20 Under 40" New Yorker list. A woman writing literary fiction? A YOUNG woman daring to do so? How preposterous! Where is her gray hair? And her pretension?<br /><br />I've (sadly) grown to expect weak-ass, poorly formed "criticism" of this sort from older male authors who can't fess up to seeing Obreht as a threat, but what, exactly, is Fowler's beef? And where the fuck was HER editor here? Oh, that's right...It's the FluffPo...Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Bloghttp://www.thebookladysblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-49875873604388307432011-06-16T09:09:10.751-04:002011-06-16T09:09:10.751-04:00Methinks Senora Fowler needs a hug? I mean, I'...Methinks Senora Fowler needs a hug? I mean, I'm all for bitter reviews, but only if they're funny-bitter and fun-loving, not seriously-angry-bitter and tangent-happy and all around bringer-downers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-2373138602811182872011-06-16T09:03:51.105-04:002011-06-16T09:03:51.105-04:00I've always found it most interesting that det...I've always found it most interesting that detractors will attack the person, but not the issue, and fail to provide any real evidence as to their dislike or problems with the issue. It makes so much more sense to attack the person rather than the work being discussed because that proves everything. <br /><br />I read a lot of books of many genres, mostly all genres, and there are some books I just cannot get through without force, a big shoe horn and a lot of teeth gritting; however, I have no problem enumerating the reasons why the book didn't work for me -- in detail and at length sometimes. I guess it goes with the territory of being a reviewer and editor and a writer.Jacklyn Cornwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07703031152094274587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-74719144982190381452011-06-16T07:23:23.353-04:002011-06-16T07:23:23.353-04:00I know a lot of people that didn't finish The ...I know a lot of people that didn't finish The Tiger's Wife but they have been very polite about it. There's enough books in the world that everyone can read something that appeals to them and from the other side, this means that nobody is going to like everything.<br /><br />I don't think there's any reason for people (sorry I don't know what the site it) to be insulting to not only the author, but the judges and people who enjoyed the book.Elliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14377404526123600035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-54814881875971378062011-06-16T02:51:22.777-04:002011-06-16T02:51:22.777-04:00Oh, I accidentally didn't finish my second sen...Oh, I accidentally didn't finish my second sentence. It's supposed to read: Fowler's piece HORRIFIED me. Her smug conclusion that a writer must have ten years of "real world" experience before being "allowed" to publish made me want to projectile vomit all over my Macbook.<br /><br />Also, the fourth paragraph should end in a question mark.<br /><br />I was so pissed re-living Fowler's evil piece I forgot to proof! Fowler! (Shakes fist at sky.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-349592220139721902011-06-16T02:46:10.862-04:002011-06-16T02:46:10.862-04:00Reading Ape, for the win!
Fowler's piece HORR...Reading Ape, for the win!<br /><br />Fowler's piece HORRIFIED me. Her smug conclusion that a writer must have ten years of "real world" experience before being "allowed" to publish.<br /><br /> I'm a writer, I've had "real world" experience (global travel, shitty/crazy jobs, heartbreaks and frustrations galore, a nuts cast of characters parading in and out of my life, more "life experience-y" stuff). <br /><br />Did that lend itself to my my writing. <br /><br />YES!<br /><br /> You know what else lent itself to my writing? <br /><br />MY MFA (Screenwriting, not Creative Writing, as is bashed in article, but we film-school grads have our own cavalcade of haters on horseback).<br /><br /> I credit any recent and future writing success in significant part to my MFA, it helped me learn the craft and make it my own. The idea that you can just go live a bunch of life and then sit down and write brilliantly plotted novel with pitch-perfect sentences in a wildly original voice is just insane. <br /><br />You don't need an MFA to be a great writer, you can become a great writer in any number of ways. Whatever path you choose, though, that path has got to include a period of time where you sit your ass down and f---ing LEARN HOW TO STRING WORDS TOGETHER SO THEY ARE WORTHY OF BEING READ.<br /><br />I'm not going to froth at the mouth in your comment section about the sixteen other things I hated about Fowler's piece, though I could. Oh, man, I could. I wanted to comment on Fowler's post itself, but she was so hostile to her commenters, I didn't even want to bother.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-61452405703838460752011-06-15T23:10:45.758-04:002011-06-15T23:10:45.758-04:00i just read her post and it was appalling. How unp...i just read her post and it was appalling. How unprofessional. Sounds ot me liek she a big chip on her shoulder. Perhaps the green eyed monster paid her a visitRebecca Chapmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14144719070318640603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-84685719806871836322011-06-15T23:01:11.711-04:002011-06-15T23:01:11.711-04:00Public flaming usually ends in self-immolation.
...Public flaming usually ends in self-immolation. <br /><br />"Come to what you read with a charitable disposition: don't expect to fight with the text, but instead seek to treat it well; be willing to meet it more than halfway, as though it were a guest in your home, which in a way it is....Above all, take time to discern what this book...has to offer you."<br /> <br />- Alan Jacobs, in The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of DistractionAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410373290265879019.post-23612009742744206672011-06-15T22:48:35.422-04:002011-06-15T22:48:35.422-04:00*gives standing ovation* Wonderful commentary on t...*gives standing ovation* Wonderful commentary on this horrible commentary by Fowler. I also took on this ugliness over on my blog here: http://www.caribousmom.com/2011/06/11/the-ugly-side-of-literature/ (although now I wish I hadn't provided a link!). Thanks for a thoughtful post.Wendyhttp://www.caribousmom.comnoreply@blogger.com