AuntShecky
08-04-2009, 12:48 PM
When we talk about sports or politics or restaurant food or anything else, don't we at least make an effort to put a point across? Naturally, not every conversation can be scintillating or even entertaining and most of us try not to be boring. That certainly should be the case with discussions about literature as well.
When we talk (or text or make on-line postings), or
when we talk about literature we are (or should be) conscious about not wasting our breath, or Internet bandwidth, or someone else's time. The most important aspect we should keep in mind is to be civil -- to be otherwise is not only against the rules of this forum but also plain common sense ( "Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.") When it comes to constructive criticism, of course, we shouldn't "dish it out" if we can't
"take it."
But, in addition to being positive and polite, the most important this is To Make Sense.
I bring this up because lately I've been reading replies to threads originally posted by other LitNetters in addition to those by yours truly that seem completely irrelevant to the specific topic under discussion. (I don't mean threads that veer off from the original topic with a sub-topic that is still related; for instance, talking about Kindle books and adding comments about MP3 downloads still falls under the general topic under discussion.)
I also don't mean that anyone on the LitNet should at all "dumb it down" because talking about art and especially literature can often bring thought to a lofty, rarefied height. Writers customarily avoid the obvious and the blatant in their quest of the subtle and the nuanced.
I am talking about replies that are so off the original poster's materials to be incomprehensible. So what I am respectfully proposing is to ask -- let's try to make sense.
That is, of course, if this thread itself makes any kind of sense!
When we talk (or text or make on-line postings), or
when we talk about literature we are (or should be) conscious about not wasting our breath, or Internet bandwidth, or someone else's time. The most important aspect we should keep in mind is to be civil -- to be otherwise is not only against the rules of this forum but also plain common sense ( "Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.") When it comes to constructive criticism, of course, we shouldn't "dish it out" if we can't
"take it."
But, in addition to being positive and polite, the most important this is To Make Sense.
I bring this up because lately I've been reading replies to threads originally posted by other LitNetters in addition to those by yours truly that seem completely irrelevant to the specific topic under discussion. (I don't mean threads that veer off from the original topic with a sub-topic that is still related; for instance, talking about Kindle books and adding comments about MP3 downloads still falls under the general topic under discussion.)
I also don't mean that anyone on the LitNet should at all "dumb it down" because talking about art and especially literature can often bring thought to a lofty, rarefied height. Writers customarily avoid the obvious and the blatant in their quest of the subtle and the nuanced.
I am talking about replies that are so off the original poster's materials to be incomprehensible. So what I am respectfully proposing is to ask -- let's try to make sense.
That is, of course, if this thread itself makes any kind of sense!