Apr 04 2008
Worth Quoting: Comment of the Day
Somebody once said that most modern literature seems to be nothing more than a cataloging of neuroses. That’s part of the phenomenon — utterly self-involved people with little or no understanding of life outside of elite-university writing/arts programs, and nothing to communicate save their own self-generated angst.Sphere: Related ContentOne of the things that makes classic literature so invigorating and timeless, compared to the navel-gazing crap of today, is that so many writers lived full lives before they ever set pen to paper, and as a result had a far more sophisticated understanding of life, people and reality.
That is indeed an exceeding excellent quote (to borrow from the KJV, THE classic literature). Flannery O’Connor, I think, comes as close as any modern literature writer does to the classics.
Thanks for the visit HannahJ ( and pardon the foul language scattered about). I confess to not having read anything remotely considered a classic in decades. It would probably do my old soul some good to read fiction from an era when humans were still humans instead of automatons with the latest version of “received wisdom” being uttered as profundity. It would be a respite from all that is going on in this world, though I fear remembrance of “simpler” times might be painful.