who is the most overrated writer ever?

[wat??]

exactly my though! i cant persuade myself to do something that is fashionable to do...like that da vinci thing...the more it gets famous, the less it attracts me...

i agree on kerouac... and i really cant understand shakespeare but apparently that's my problem...

It's alright, neither can Turgenev. George Orwell might have something to say to you about that though.

http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/lear/english/e_ltf

[janus1us]

Besides Melville? Ok, that Twilight writer. Those books are terrible. Maybe I should finish that novel. . .apparently is doesn't have to be good to sell. . .

[janus1us]

Oh wow. I can agree that Grapes of Wrath was not as "GREAT" as I had been led to believe, but East of Eden was phenomonal in it's focus on man's ability to choose what rules him.

[kelby_lake]

Speaking of having knowledge about literature . . . you do know Kelby was making an allusion to Animal Farm right?

Hah. Missed the layup on that one. My point stands regardless.

I was making the allusion, in my geeky way

The point of that quote, as I see it, is that in theory everybody's opinion is valid, but of course some are less valid than others. We claim democracy but really, we're not going to let a 9 year old's judgment on War and Peace be of the same worth as an English professor of 30 years- so let's just be openly elitest

[My name is red]

Every name could be uttered as overrated and thats okay to some extend.But there is only one single name that I'm pretty sure that it's not overrated,and that's Shakespeare

[Reread]

Harry Potter has a lot of depth actually. It's fascinating to delve into all the literary criticism on Potter, which I've been doing to prepare for my Harry Potter post that I promised, and see all the different interpretations of the overall series (of individual books, of individual chapters, of individual characters), sub-textual readings, analysis of its motifs, discussions about its structure, its place in literary history, its place in fantasy literature, its place in children's literature, its place in pop culture. There is just so many angles to approach it from, so many little things to analyze, such fertile ground for scholarship.

Don't get me wrong. I love Harry Potter and I do agree there is a lot of depth. J.K. Rowling created a fascinating world with wonderful characters. I'm simply pointing out that if you look at Harry Potter and expect it to be comparable to something like War and Peace or Paradise Lost then, yes, you won't think it measures up. I think the entire question of what author is overrated depends entirely on your individual standards.

[Sanjar of Akkad]

Stephenie Meyer with the twilight series, and Christopher Paolini with his terrible generic fantasy.

[Twhalley]

I too, share the same opinion. Rowling gets too much than she deserve (IMHO).

Me also, She just doesn't compare to other authors from the past. But she is probably easier to access than a lot of authors.

[Adderhead]

I would nominate J.D. Salinger. The only reason he is well known is because he is a social recluse and won't do any interviews, thus increasing the hype of his novels. Also Stephenie Meyer by far.

[Twhalley]

Certainly Salinger! A lot of people would say he's a great author, but could only mention The Catcher In The Rye.

[Drkshadow03]

Certainly Salinger! A lot of people would say he's a great author, but could only mention The Catcher In The Rye.

Well, regardless of the merits and demerits of Catcher, it only takes one to put you on the literary map so to speak.

[WICKES]

Most overrated: Hemingway, Kerouac and To Kill A Mocking Bird

Most underrated: Anthony Burgess

[tbarnes]

Certainly Salinger! A lot of people would say he's a great author, but could only mention The Catcher In The Rye.

it's such a shame Catcher gets all the attention when Franny and Zooey is much better.

I cringe a little every time I see Hemingway or Kerouac in this thread.

True, Kerouac isn't the greatest writer in the world, and not all of his works are great, but when he is on he is one of the most enjoyable authors I have ever read. Stay away from On the Road and try Dharma Bums, or Big Sur.

Then again, it's all opinion.

[FanofdeBeauvoir]

Stephenie Meyer is the most overrated "writer" ever. To have insights on why, visit twilightsucks.com.

[Lullaby]

I concur. Stephenie Meyer's novels couldn't be less original, and further overrated, if she tried.