not so much a post, just a comment that grew too long to be a comment

[realthog]

There's been some discussion around LJ concerning the notion of the jealousy supposedly expressed by mere readers and midlist writers towards megasuccessful authors, the idea seeming to be that, if we make hostile comments concerning the undoubted crapitude of some of our regularly blockbustering "literary" figures (an alarming number of whom no longer write their own books), we're just being jealous.

Instead, apparently, the role of reviewers confronted by arrant bollocks pressed between two hard covers and piled high in Barnes & Noble is either to lie through their teeth and say nice things about it -- "What a wonderful master of prose this Mr Gingrich is!" -- or at the very least just keep quiet.

My own feeling is that literary criticism/reviewing has, rightly, a very long and distinguished history and a very high status within literature as a whole, and that those who say book reviews should always look on the bright side are suggesting that this time-honored art be debased until the reviewer becomes nothing more than an adjunct of the publisher's publicity department. Next stop, "reviewers" hired by publishers to produce glowing puffs.

I've nothing at all -- obviously! -- against commercial fiction. I do, though, object to an industry structure designed by and large to prevent the best of the commercial fiction from floating to the top. Often it does, but very often it's suppressed because the conglomerate publishers and/or the bookselling chains see profit in promoting garbage. To take just one example, for how many years were any number of second-rate thriller writers promoted to the skies while (in this country) Ian Rankin lurked largely unnoticed in the midlist? You could say much the same of Terry Pratchett. In both instances it was really US readers, not US marketers, who insisted the author receive more notice. I'm sure you can think of plenty of examples of your own.

The reviewer unafraid to contradict the publicists and the marketers is, like the little boy who commented on the Emperor's new clothes, doing us all a favor. If good books are being ignored and bad ones promoted, the real sufferers are we, the readers.

Is it "jealous" for people to point out that an author is being massively promoted when long past her/his sell-by date, when past glories are being used to sell current bad books? I think not -- just as supermarket customers are justified in complaining if they're being sold stale goods. Consumer magazines warn you about gadgets that don't do what their manufacturers say they do; shouldn't reviewers warn you against novels that don't do what their publishers claim they do -- that don't enthrall, that don't thrill, that don't make you gasp with romantic ardor until the very last page?

Excuse the fact that these are just scattered thoughts. As indicated, this started out as a comment on someone else's LJ post, and then I realized it was getting a bit out of hand.

If you want to see an essay demolishing a vacuous but temporarily hugely successful writer, try Lord Macaulay on the highly popular poet of his day, Robert Montgomery. Out of interest, many years ago I got hold of a book of Montgomery's work and, phew, boy, was Macaulay right.

Comments

[coppervale.livejournal.com]

The only reason you're being bold enough to write this is because no one from the conglomerates who might send kneebreakers can remember where the bus stop is in front of your house.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Curiously enough, most of the people working within the conglomerates seem by and large to agree with me.

[coppervale.livejournal.com]

As do an awful lot of booksellers....

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"As do an awful lot of booksellers...."

I know.

[al-zorra.livejournal.com]

The congloms kneebreakers have been laid off, along with everybody else.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

One of my back-of-the-mind novel projects concerns someone with a rather similar job description . . .

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Kneebreakers? Conglomerates don't hire those these days. They hire nice polite gentlemen or ladies equipped with nine millimetre permanent persuaders.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

All called Cynthia or Tamsin or Piers or Julia or . . .

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Zachary or Bree.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Curiously I read an interesting article this morning on the subject of authors and reviewers, from a rather different perspective: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/5725212/Alain-de-Botton-Youll-regret-those-words-until-your-dying-day.html

[realthog.livejournal.com]

I've been keeping up with the de Botton case in a sort of desultory way. It appears both he and Alice Hoffman, who's likewise erupted recently, have been victims of crap reviews by crap reviewers.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

That could well be. Bad reviews do happen. Especially from apprentice reviewers.

Confession: I write book reviews on a regular basis as a professional matter and am joint book review editor of a Caribbean studies journal (recently started doing that -- it costs me money posting books to reviewers, as well as time chasing down dilatory scholars; I need to employ a kneecapper or two, methinks). My worry is the writer whose amour propre is so injured that s/he decides to sue for libel. Hasn't happened yet, but it might, if I encounter a book that's truly bad. I haven't yet, though I just sent in a review of a book of poems that included some of the flattest love poetry I've ever read.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"I write book reviews on a regular basis as a professional matter"

I was US Reviews Editor for the highly regarded webzine Infinity Plus for quite a while, so I think I understand the issue from both sides.

Oddly, in the case of one author who completed bitterly about the unflattering review I'd given his latest, we later found he was using my review as an example of how reviews should be written: he still disagreed vehemently with my conclusions, but felt the ways that I'd reached them, and my explication thereof, were exemplary.

[fledgist.livejournal.com]

Now there's a compliment!

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"Now there's a compliment!"

Indeed. I was really quite gruntled.

[thisplacehere.livejournal.com]

I wonder: does it occur to people who talk about jealousy in this context that someone might review a book negatively simply because it's, y'know, not very good?

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Their notion is that, if you can't think of anything nice to say, then just don't say anything at all.

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

The font used in this book is attractive, and there is a nice contrast between the ink and the paper."

[realthog.livejournal.com]

"And, in an especially daring move, Ms Spears uses semi-colons."

[monissaw.livejournal.com]

LOL

[thisplacehere.livejournal.com]

The font used in this book is attractive..."

This reminds me of an old review of Paul's.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Hm, yes, I really didn't like that book, did I?

Or maybe I was just jealous?

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

Word.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

Four-lettered?

[avengangle.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that many of those are used in first drafts of book reviews. :) I seem to have edited all of mine out, somehow.

But yes, the idea of a pet corporate reviewer makes me want to throw something across the room.

[melindadansky.livejournal.com]

Oh yes!

I have nothing useful to add, except a request for more posts that belong under the "boring old fart" tag.

[realthog.livejournal.com]

I'll do me best, ma'am, 'umble though it be.