The Snootiness of Gene Wolfe

Brian Palmer · 02 Mar 2004, 00:40 · from rec.arts.sf.written.2004.mbox

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From: Brian Palmer <bpalmer at rescomp.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Re: The Snootiness of Gene Wolfe
Date: 01 Mar 2004 16:40:14 -0800
Message-ID: <0whznb0rsi9.fsf at rescomp.Stanford.EDU>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
References: <Xns949D9FE6F929Difyouwanttoemailvisi at 199.45.49.11> <lawrence-43D2DE.01241529022004 at news-central.ash.giganews.com>

Lawrence Person <lawrence at io.com> writes:
 
> Of all the people making the "I don't understand Wolfe so he's not any good" 
> arguement, there seems to be a constant: none were professional writers (and 
> certainly not professional SF writers). I am wagering that this obeservation 
> applies to you well.
> 
> And the reason none of them was professional writers is that it is obvious none 
> realized just how hard the effects Wolfe achieves are to carry off, and just how 
> effortlessly he does so. I am. I do. And you're wrong.
> 
> However, rather than depending on my thus far fairly minor reputation as an SF 
> writer (I often observe that I'm the 10th most famous SF writer in Austin, 
> Texas), let's take a look at a short list of far more luminous scribblers who 
> think Wolfe is a genius:

Without speaking more about the merits of the original poster's case,
I just have to say this is a very silly argument by authority. In some
cases, argument by authority is valid; but whether an author is snooty
or not, or has a broad range, I don't think so.

It's even sillier when that authority is also based on on cover
blurbs, given the general accuracy and relevance of such blurbs,
-- 
I'm awfully glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard.

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