SRD on obscurity

Chris · 10 Jun 2006, 19:55 · from 2006-June.txt.gz

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From: rasputin_ at hotmail.com (Chris)
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 2006 19:55:45 +0000
Subject: (urth) SRD on obscurity
In-Reply-To: <1f7617370606091552g4c40f201ra3ad8f22f2673500 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <BAY102-F4161D10A3EF04185C6EFE586890 at phx.gbl>

It is not so much Covenant's horribleness that bothers me about that series, 
it's Donaldson's tendency to *wallow* in that horribleness for extended 
periods of time.

I enjoyed some things about that series. Afterward I felt pretty dirty about 
it, though. Something akin to your feelings about a bottle of cheap port 
wine the day after you've imbibed it.

>Experience.
>
>I'd better explain that. I don't mean that this is a particularly
>disdainful group of readers/fans. But Donaldson has come
>in for a great deal of disdain over the years, partially of the
>"Covenant is a horrible character" variety -- which I don't
>suppose would particularly faze Wolfe's readers! -- but
>also of Donaldson's _prose_, which is a lot harder to defend.
>
>Donaldson is a very conscious stylist, who deliberately
>chose a very unpleasant and (frankly) offputting style for the
>Covenant books. I don't mean his use of "big woids," which,
>again, ought not to bother Lupines, but the thudding rhythms,
>especially of the first trilogy. Until I read some non-Covenant
>work of his, I thought of him as "a conscioius, and
>conscientious, stylist with a tin ear." (In fact, even the new
>Covenant book is much better-written than the old books:
>it's the same basic style, but handled much more deftly.
>Donaldson has become a much better writer.)
>
>At any rate, you have but to mention his name in most
>fannish contexts to get people urgghing, which I think a
>pity: he brought something desparately needed to the
>fantasy market.
>
>--Dan'l
>
>--
>Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
>
>-----
>http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
>"One o'th'flay-rods gone out o'skew on th'treadle."
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