For me, reading Sylvia Plath was very disturbing because I identified with her darkest works. It was like looking into a mirror. Such pain and anger.Quote:
Originally Posted by AuntShecky
<shiver>
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For me, reading Sylvia Plath was very disturbing because I identified with her darkest works. It was like looking into a mirror. Such pain and anger.Quote:
Originally Posted by AuntShecky
<shiver>
Truman capote writes like an old woman on the crapper, stuffed, pretentious, self-reverent; his voice comes through the distance of a tinfoil tube then through the telephone. There is no emotion not fabricated, no real human emotions AT ALL. He is depraved in all ways as a writer. Truman capote is by far the most overrated writer ever. He's actually one of the worst. This is not in response to the kerouac thing. Kerouac is vastly overrated also, but he at least has written several sentences of any value in his time, whereas capote has not written one.
To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the inner music that words make. Capote.Quote:
Originally Posted by thechampion
Haven't looked through enough of this thread to know if anyone has said this, but I can't stand Dan Brown. Anyone who claims to have facts in their work and not do the adequate research to make sure is just a raving lunatic.
YES! finally someone who understands...Quote:
Originally Posted by Shea
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by crazefest456
The public asks for crap and so Dan Brown gave them crap. Danielle Steel, John Grisham, Anne Rice, etc. It's a noble accomplishment in this world, actually.
I really never saw anything in Grisham's works that I found so awful. He's no literary genius, but he knows how to right an interesting story that really grips your attention.
okokok
I can see the cigarettes making sense, but the beats weren't exactly lightweights at drinking and probably wouldn't deign to wear a speedo.
Ah... but considering a "Beats Lover" one gets the image of a holdover from the good old days of teenage rebellion... sort of an aging hippie. I don't imagine such as still hitting the Jack Daniels on a regular basis.
ARE YOU FOR REAL?!?!Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterL
I sometimes ask the same question, but what does that have to do with authors?Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Bartholomew
Anyone who thinks that Shakespeare is overrated (referring to a few posts on the first page) seriously needs to think about his/her life. If you don't like him, you don't understand him.
This is the second "overrated author" thread I've read. The other one started with someone going after Jane Austen. It's far more entertaining that this one. However, there are some valid points made in that other thread, which I would appy to this one.
1. Ignore current bestseller writers. We have no indication we'll be talking about them a hundred years from now.
2. Back up your claim. If you are going to crawl out on a thin limb and declare Shakespeare overrated, you had better have some facts to back it up. Otherwise, it's a matter of your not enjoying the writing or underappreciating it or something more relative to you than the author or the writing.
3. Every author doesn't appeal to everyone. It's what makes all the forums on this network so interesting. Seek what you like or what intrigues you or what gives you joy or mystifies you.
4. Read more than one work from the author before you make a declaration on his or her work. Go to a forum and make a statement like "I just read xyz by whomever and found it unpleasant. What else should I read to have a better experience." Folks will help you out.
My recent candidate for overrated has been Henry James and I'm changing my tune. I read Portrait of a Lady (liked it) and The Wings of the Dove (hated it) and I'm currently reading The Ambassadors (really like it). I'm discovering the I don't have what it takes to fully appreciate his work, but I can see why it might be considered "literature". So, give some of these folks a break.
I'm not even going to take contemporary "writers" such as Dan Brown,Rowling,Houllebecq or Paulo Coelho into account: 99% of today's authors are grossly overrated in my opinion,including the aforementioned.
As for older authors...in no particular order:
Ernest Hemingway
Virginia Woolf
De Sade(no matter how bad you may think he is,he's even worse!His poor excuse for philosophy in his works is ridiculous.)
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Honore de Balzac
Ayn Rand
Boris Pasternak
All of these,especially Hemingway,are important,but I still think they're given too much credit.