Maugham maintained that, because of their (relative) brevity, short stories and plays may be perfect; their authors minds' need not wander.
-
-
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
But his is a plausible explanation for the obtrusion into otherwise excellent novels of occasional embarrassing infelicities of expression.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
I hardly know whether Maugham's explanation may account for the obnoxious superfluity you quite justly lament. But I can imagine it might.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @MathPrinceps
Of course, I came across a startlingly crude (for Maugham) reference to anal penetration in CAKES & ALE so it's not like he's above it all.
1 reply 0 retweets 1 like -
Replying to @elanmastai
Well, of course his own assertion is that no novelist is, has been, or ever can be above it all. But some are more painstaking than others.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
And some are simply more sensitive to infelicities of style and substance that undermine the effect of a novel by distracting its readers.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
This heightened sensitivity to missteps is a curious faculty. We call it "taste," and we know it when we see it. But it remains mysterious.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
Especially mysterious, of course, are those persons whose taste never errs. Like Chopin. Not a single garish note in his entire output.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
I'm pretty sure you'll search in vain through the whole of Ishiguro's output for so much as a single fleeting mention of "perfect" breasts.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @MathPrinceps @elanmastai
But even more mysterious than the absence of flaws in the work of an artist of unerring taste is the abundance of breathtaking wonders.
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
A built-in, shockproof shit detector will exclude "perfect" breasts from your work, but it is powerless to call spirits from the vasty deep.
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.