Why I don't like TBOTSS

Allan Lloyd · 25 May 2002, 21:04 · from urth-v0205.mbox · original

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From: "Allan Lloyd" <allan-lloyd at lineone.net>
Subject: (urth) Re: [urth] Why I don't like TBOTSS
Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 22:04:09 +0100
Message-ID: <urth-v0205-1083 at digest.urth.net>
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Adam,
         Way back in the archives there is a post from me expressing =
deep dissatisfaction with the Short Sun books, and because of this, I =
too have not been taking much part in the discussion of the books.

      My main point was that in the final book, I expected some sort of =
resolution to some of the problems and questions that Wolfe had been =
setting in the previous two books. Maybe this was unreasonable of me =
when dealing with Gene, but I was frustrated with the fact that he just =
kept raising more questions without giving enough clues in the text to =
solve any of them. (I also find some discussions in this group lately to =
be speculating more and more freely in trying to invent solutions that =
may fit the facts, but have no textual support.)=20

     It could just be me, but I am feeling that in his more recent =
works, Wolfe has not been playing fair with his readers. I still think =
that he and Crowley are the best writers in the science fiction field, =
but I really don't think that his recent work has been up to his own =
high standards.

     Certain stylistic habits are getting harder to bear. If I read one =
more narrator telling me that there are three reasons why he is doing =
something, but just happens to get sidetracked before he tells me all of =
them, or starts to expain a major incident in the plot, but veers off =
with a description of ways of growing cabbages, I may have to be =
restrained from tearing pages from books. Too many narrators are =
children, or people who don't write very well, or are not very =
intelligent, just as an excuse to obscure facts and with-hold =
information that would normally be provided in the text. I find this a =
contrived and unnatural way of creating puzzles. A problem that arises =
through plotting, or genuine lack of knowledge on the part of a =
character, seems to me to be a proper part of a story, but having the =
narrator forget to tell us is becoming a contrivance.

    Is it just me feeling particularly grumpy tonight, or does everyone =
else feel that these are justified ways of provoking thought and =
reflection on a story?

                                             Allan

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Adam,
        =20
Way back in the archives there is a post from me expressing deep =
dissatisfaction=20
with the Short Sun books, and because of this, I too have not been =
taking much=20
part in the discussion of the books.

      My main =
point was=20
that in the final book, I expected some sort of resolution to some =
of the=20
problems and questions that Wolfe had been setting in the previous two =
books.=20
Maybe this was unreasonable of me when dealing with Gene, but I was =
frustrated=20
with the fact that he just kept raising more questions without=20
giving enough clues in the text to solve any of them. (I also find =
some=20
discussions in this group lately to be speculating more and more =
freely in=20
trying to invent solutions that may fit the facts, but have no textual =
support.)=20

     It could just =
be me, but I=20
am feeling that in his more recent works, Wolfe has not been playing =
fair with=20
his readers. I still think that he and Crowley are the best =
writers in=20
the science fiction field, but I really don't think that his recent work =
has=20
been up to his own high standards.

     Certain =
stylistic habits=20
are getting harder to bear. If I read one more narrator telling me that =
there=20
are three reasons why he is doing something, but just happens to =
get=20
sidetracked before he tells me all of them, or starts to expain a major =
incident=20
in the plot, but veers off with a description of ways of growing =
cabbages, I may=20
have to be restrained from tearing pages from books. Too many narrators =
are=20
children, or people who don't write very well, or are not very =
intelligent, just=20
as an excuse to obscure facts and with-hold information that would =
normally be=20
provided in the text. I find this a contrived and unnatural way of =
creating=20
puzzles. A problem that arises through plotting, or genuine lack of =
knowledge on=20
the part of a character, seems to me to be a proper part of a story, but =
having=20
the narrator forget to tell us is becoming a contrivance.

    Is it just me =
feeling=20
particularly grumpy tonight, or does everyone else feel that these are =
justified=20
ways of provoking thought and reflection on a story?

          &nbs=
p;            =
;            =
         =20
Allan</BODY></HTML>

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