I certainly agree that one of the writer’s main jobs is to question–not just the rules of the craft but everything! The ability to delve deep beneath the surface and mine the essence of a thought, an idea, or a topic is the heart of meaningful writing. And the ability to express that thought, idea, or topic in one’s own uniquely eloquent way and still relate it to each individual reader’s personal experience is the magical skill more commonly referred to as “writing talent.”

Thanks for an excellent piece!
Jeanne

I will definitely have to take a look at the works you mention. As for myself, I like notoriously difficult (or at least they used to be considered difficult!) “oldies” like Faulkner, T.S. Eliot, Nabokov, and Joyce, but I’m, unfortunately, not as well read in world literature as you! Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary can be a fun read, as far as dictionaries go (though it’s not a true dictionary), and it’s accessible here http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/972.

Leighs last blog post..The Music of Words and Other Matters

I could have added “Only Revolutions” by Danielewski to Thaler and Wright, or the works of Milorad Pavic or many many other experiments, that are inspiring and hard to read. Enjoyable? Well… I don’t think so. Not in the common sense. A good story is allways more enjoyable than a book without the letter ‘e’

But I think both readers and writers can enjoy the ‘newness’ or ‘otherness’ of such strange texts. And learn from it.

I like the idea of ‘ergodic’ literature, literature that isn’t complete without (a little) extra work by the reader. Pavic wrote the “Dictionary of the Khazars”, which is, like it says, a dictionary. I don’t think that’s the best way to tell a story, but it is definitely the best way to show that there are stories everywhere, even in a simple dictionary. Or is there any other place, where Passover is followed by the past and Tory and torture are neighbours?

Those experiments are like spices. To be used carerully, but definitely to be used.

I do have a question for you, though. I’m intrigued by the two novels you mentioned by Thaler and Wright. I can see how writing these two books would’ve been exciting (as a sort of testing oneself, really), but I wonder whether they are as enjoyable for readers. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder… At any rate, I’ll have to check these books out when I’ve got the time.

I’m not familiar with the particular Nietzsche aphorism you use, but I’m very fond of another that goes something like: “Be careful when chasing monsters for, when you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you” (translated from the German, of course).

I really admire that, despite being what you call a “newbie,” you took the risk of writing your article and–damn the torpedoes!–submitted it. John the site administrator has written about how many people had written to him expressing fear of writing for PoeWar. As a newbie in some ways myself, I would definitely urge writers to take more risks. The very worst an editor can say is no or, these days, nothing at all once you submit your work. And by that time, maybe you’ve already revised (another important point: revise, revise, revise!) the work, submitted it elsewhere, and been accepted (assuming the publications accept so-called simsubs). And if not, you still hitch your wagon to a star and move on!

Again, many thanks for taking the risk and sharing your contagious enthusiasm with us. I’m inspired! : )

Leighs last blog post..The Music of Words and Other Matters

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