I say almost because it is possible I may have stumbled across one unknowingly and I prefer to avoid inaccuracies. I was speaking to what you post here. I freely admit that the use of the word good is mine, not yours. I was paraphrasing you; it does not change the truth of the matter.
I freely admit my bias against intellectual elitists and their (my opinion) over-analysis of prose. ESPECIALLY, when they belittle people who simply enjoy the story the author is telling with his/her inferior (their opinion/standards) skills/methods.
You are free to do so of course. Just as I am free to disagree with your approach. However, if you are going to be completely honest within yourself, you need to apply the same standards/methods to everything in your life. Your birthday cakes must only be made from the absolute premium ingredients, the seasoning in your dinner must be farm fresh. The editing and camera placements in the next Monty Python sketch must be perfect (which will be a first) before you can laugh...
Prose analysis has its place, in academia. It belongs in the classroom, when people are learnig or being taught how to write and read. The perfection of the brush strokes do not make a great painting. What makes a great painting, is the viewer.
You can write a technically brilliant book, but if nobody reads it, then it is nothing. Conversely a person can write a book that is technical crap, but if everybody reads and enjoys it then it is "great". Unfortunately, I realize that I just made an argument in favor of Stephanie Meyer and Terry Goodkind... Turns my stomach, but oh well.
I freely admit my bias against intellectual elitists and their (my opinion) over-analysis of prose. ESPECIALLY, when they belittle people who simply enjoy the story the author is telling with his/her inferior (their opinion/standards) skills/methods.
You are free to do so of course. Just as I am free to disagree with your approach. However, if you are going to be completely honest within yourself, you need to apply the same standards/methods to everything in your life. Your birthday cakes must only be made from the absolute premium ingredients, the seasoning in your dinner must be farm fresh. The editing and camera placements in the next Monty Python sketch must be perfect (which will be a first) before you can laugh...
Prose analysis has its place, in academia. It belongs in the classroom, when people are learnig or being taught how to write and read. The perfection of the brush strokes do not make a great painting. What makes a great painting, is the viewer.
You can write a technically brilliant book, but if nobody reads it, then it is nothing. Conversely a person can write a book that is technical crap, but if everybody reads and enjoys it then it is "great". Unfortunately, I realize that I just made an argument in favor of Stephanie Meyer and Terry Goodkind... Turns my stomach, but oh well.
This may be one of the most dire reviews you shall ever read
09/09/2012 09:12:25 PM
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A review of a D&D bestiary could be more dire.
09/09/2012 11:29:17 PM
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Perhaps
09/09/2012 11:50:20 PM
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They are popular as they are fun, easy reading books
10/09/2012 12:11:24 AM
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"Popular", "Fun," and "Easy" doesn't have to be equated with poorly-written
10/09/2012 12:16:27 AM
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Poorly written by what standard?
10/09/2012 12:29:17 AM
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By the standards of what I enjoyed as a nine year-old?
10/09/2012 01:04:12 AM
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So like I said, by the standards of Elitist Literary Snobs
11/09/2012 12:03:08 AM
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Nice attempt at sophistry, but alas, it fails
11/09/2012 12:38:24 AM
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Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:43:13 AM
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Re: Was that meant to make any sense?
11/09/2012 01:54:23 AM
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I'm with Wibble on this (big surprise)
12/09/2012 03:07:53 PM
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Heh.
12/09/2012 03:43:52 PM
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Pretty much so
12/09/2012 04:19:35 PM
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When did you put up that header?
12/09/2012 04:35:20 PM
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I didn't put it up
12/09/2012 04:51:32 PM
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I shall tread lightly so.
12/09/2012 06:15:51 PM
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12/09/2012 07:25:29 PM
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Re: Pretty much so
12/09/2012 08:50:57 PM
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You apparently do not read my blog/reviews much
12/09/2012 09:07:18 PM
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Actually, I read them almost never
13/09/2012 03:07:48 PM
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I think my IQ dropped a little bit when I parsed what you said
13/09/2012 04:16:21 PM
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Yep, your usual rebuttal... *NM*
17/09/2012 02:14:56 PM
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No, not really
17/09/2012 06:25:15 PM
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Yes, Yes, wrap yourself in arrogance and declare yourself correct until your opposite gets bored...
17/09/2012 11:12:17 PM
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Don't try to argue with them. They've made their judgments. They are better than you.
10/09/2012 09:36:17 PM
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Defensive much? *NM*
10/09/2012 10:31:17 PM
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Perhaps. It's annoying, because I tend to agree with you guys - you and Tom and Stephen.
11/09/2012 02:32:28 AM
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The odd thing that there wasn't any belittling on my part -see other response. *NM*
11/09/2012 03:17:36 AM
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For the record, I wasn't trying to be condescending in my response.
11/09/2012 05:52:29 PM
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He never said you couldn't enjoy it.
10/09/2012 11:10:11 PM
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He also went on to compare liking the books to having the standards of a nine-year-old.
11/09/2012 02:34:18 AM
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You didn't read what I said very well then
11/09/2012 03:16:21 AM
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You're right. In the context of this thread, I'm basically acting like a raving lunatic.
11/09/2012 02:48:19 PM
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It's not like any of us have ever been innocent 100% of the time
11/09/2012 03:49:22 PM
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I believe that they were not meant for adults.
10/09/2012 12:30:05 AM
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Very few of my friends were reading the books; some played the game, though
10/09/2012 01:06:07 AM
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Basically, both get dubious kudos for trying something new by the dire standards of the day.
10/09/2012 11:38:22 PM
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Interesting point
11/09/2012 12:41:01 AM
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Are you aware of the game's alignment rules? Some of the novels struggle with this.
12/09/2012 10:58:37 PM
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Not aware of it at all until now
12/09/2012 11:18:57 PM
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How is that possible?
12/09/2012 11:28:33 PM
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My dad was (and is) influenced by Evangelicals
13/09/2012 12:17:36 AM
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Wait, so you didn't read the Chronicles first?
13/09/2012 02:12:13 PM
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No
13/09/2012 02:18:03 PM
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Chronicles is considerably weaker
13/09/2012 11:14:38 PM
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Needless to say, once I finish reading the Icewind Dale trilogy, I'm done with D&D
14/09/2012 12:38:47 AM
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These threads are so much better than the rape threads! *NM*
12/09/2012 04:03:01 AM
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You're just waiting to see if I'll use hexameter in the next one *NM*
12/09/2012 04:32:31 AM
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And having now finished Dragonlance: Legends, its very own sonnet
13/09/2012 12:31:51 PM
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At least you didn't read the Baldur's Gate novelizations
14/09/2012 04:29:17 AM
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Sssssh!
14/09/2012 05:10:19 AM
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Baldurs Gate wooooo!
14/09/2012 04:13:34 PM
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Eh, Star Wars Expanded Universe I could see reading. Some of them are supposed to be good
17/09/2012 04:37:05 PM
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Is the review dire because of the subject or the sonnet form?
14/09/2012 04:24:37 PM
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Both
14/09/2012 04:36:59 PM
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it would be unusual for someone to just randomly pick books like that up
14/09/2012 05:05:37 PM
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Interesting scenario
14/09/2012 10:16:11 PM
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