Help with "To Kill A Mockingbird"

[kathycf]

Apparently Truman Capote wasn't thinking TKAM is a good structured novel too.

Truman Capote is not the only authority on what makes a novel a quality work of fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer prize for fiction. The Pulitzer is an American award, so I am going under the assumption that you may not be familiar with it. The short version is this:

The Pulitzer Prize, pronounced /'pʊl.ɪt.zɚ/ ("PULL-it-zer"[1]), is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. It is administered by Columbia University in New York City.

Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories. In twenty of these, each winner receives a certificate and a US$10,000 cash reward. The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal, which always goes to a newspaper, although an individual may be named in the citation.

The prize was established by Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian-American journalist and newspaper publisher, who left money to Columbia University upon his death in 1911. A portion of his bequest was used to found the university's journalism school in 1912. The first Pulitzer Prizes were awarded on June 4, 1917, and they are now announced each April. Recipients are chosen by an independent board.

[Turk]

Truman Capote is not the only authority on what makes a novel a quality work of fiction. To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer prize for fiction. The Pulitzer is an American award, so I am going under the assumption that you may not be familiar with it. The short version is this:

Novel got that prize after selling thousands of copies, Capote didn't think it's a good novel before it's printed. There's quite big difference.

[kathycf]

How does that make a "big" difference? The prize is administered to quality works, not crap. Capote's opinion is one opinion. As is your's and mine.

Many other writers thought highly of Lee's book. I don't base my opinion of any book based on what Truman Capote thought of it. If you agree with his opinion, fine. Other people obviously hold other opinions and those are just as valid.

[Turk]

How does that make a "big" difference? The prize is administered to quality works, not crap. Capote's opinion is one opinion. As is your's and mine.

It's big difference. One is before printed, it was read by Capote before the book get public interest. Jury read that book after it's printed and already became a successfull book. Do i have to explain more to show there's a big difference between these two stiuation? Also Capote's opinion is not a random person's opinion. So do you think an uneducated Tibetian farmer's opinion is as important and accurate as Capote's opinion?

Plus, everyone knows juries are affected by public opinion if you would send TKAM before it's printed they wouldn't think it's a great achivment. I can bet she wouldn't get that prize if her book wouldn't sell a lot. And personally i always prefer to believe an artist's opinion rather than a jury's opinion.

[kathycf]

ISo do you think an uneducated Tibetian farmer's opinion is as important and accurate as Capote's opinion?

Where did I mention anything about uneducated anybody? We were (I thought) discussing Harper Lee winning the 1961 Pulitzer prize. The prize is administered by Columbia University, which is an extremely well respected institute of higher learning...hardly uneducated. If you are going to make a point could you base it on something I actually posted and not some made up example?

I think you are missing my point entirely anyway....and point of fact I don't think Truman Capote is the finest writer to ever walk the face of the earth, but I am quite willing to accept that my opinion of his work is SUBJECTIVE. Rather than trying to enter into a rather tiresome debate about the validity of Truman Capote's opinion, the point I was trying to make is that his is ONE OPINION. He didn't think the book was good. Other people quite obviously felt OTHERWISE, and lots of them were writers too! So what!?

The fact remains is that we are free to express our opinions! You didn't like the book, fine...totally your choice. Other people, including myself think it is a fine book. It is not necessary to agree about this.

You know, I am just going to limit myself to playing forum games from now on, because this type of stuff just irritates me way too much. I am not blaming you, Turk, I am blaming myself. I have gotten to the point where I don't even want to read any more serious threads.

[Turk]

So do you think an uneducated Tibetian farmer's opinion is as important and accurate as Capote's opinion?

Well, you had to understand i didn't literally mean it. But from your words;

Capote's opinion is one opinion. As is your's and mine.

it sounds like you saying an artist's opinion has no difference than a random person.

Anyway, enough Capote. I repeat it for the last time; and this time it's just my opinion; i've read many novels and TKAM could be a nice children book, but compared to novels such as Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, Grapes of Wrath or In Search of Lost Time it's structuraly really weak. Also if Harper Lee had that quality she would be able to write at least a second important piece of work. I still say it's structuraly weak novel although it's fun to read.

[kenikki]

Wow, I never knew there would be a full blow argument over TKAM! It is a good novel not great but good with an amazing range of literary devices,so should be applauded for that alone.

The fact remains is that we are free to express our opinions! You didn't like the book, fine...totally your choice. Other people, including myself think it is a fine book. It is not necessary to agree about this.

You know, I am just going to limit myself to playing forum games from now on, because this type of stuff just irritates me way too much. I am not blaming you, Turk, I am blaming myself. I have gotten to the point where I don't even want to read any more serious threads.

I am sorry to hear that you feel that way about your opinions kathy But you do raise some valid points that will noted by everyone who reads the post, especially me as I am feeling strongly about this book as I have just read it.

[kathycf]

it sounds like you saying an artist's opinion has no difference than a random person.

No. That isn't what I was saying. Many other people including other writers liked the book...Truman Capote is one who didn't. His opinion isn't any more or less valid than any other writer who holds an opinion of Lee's book.

I did state this earlier in another post, so obviously not talking about some random person...and random is not the same as being uneducated, so it was quite puzzling why you bring up some example involving an uneducated person.

Many other writers thought highly of Lee's book.

You know, sometimes it is easy to misunderstand what is posted. There are limitations to this type of communication. I tend to think if we were sitting face to face over a cup of coffee, we would get our points across clearer to each other. While I love this forum, it has disadvantages to it in the sense that the communication doesn't take place like a conversation and there is no body language or facial expressions to help with meaning and context.

Is the book perfect? Nope, I never said so. Is is a good book? Yes, I think so, other people do too and apparently in 1961 some other NOT random people thought so too. You seem to be making an assumption that the jury who judged the book were some schmucks who didn't know jack about writing, weren't writers... and that just isn't true. I can't name who was on the board back in 1961 because I wasn't born then, but these are the people who are on it now: http://www.pulitzer.org/CurrentBoard/CurrentBoard.html They look like they have some "adequate" qualifications.

kenikki, not an argument going on, but thanks for your statement. I just get quite frustrated when I feel my opinion is being disrespected. It really isn't just about the literary value of TKAM, but about a deeper issue as well. I simply get too stressed out.

[ennison]

Capote (Lee's inspiration for Dill) has not written anything as good as Lee's novel. I don't know what he said about it but it's possible that jealousy could be a factor in his comment if he said it was not well structured. Lee has been silent about her work and some people have even suggested that Capote had a large hand in the writing of her novel. I don't believe that

[Turk]

That's clear Capote didn't write TKAM. Because his style is so much different than TKAM's style. TKAM is a really nice book, because it's written so frankly. But structure is weak, some parts of novel are just looking like written to fill pages and many events are unrelated. So there's no real flow in novel. Personally i think Capote is a better writer than Lee at least he proved himself with more than only one book.

[ennison]

Tell me an unrelated event.

[Turk]

I am getting the book.

Here; one of most significants; part 11.

[ennison]

Part 11 is about the trial which has been mentioned throughout part one. It is the culmination of Lee's key commentary on the reality of prejudice.

[ennison]

I feel we have different concepts of what constitutes structure. There is nothing random in Lee's choice of childhood pictures. Even Scout's first day at school is tied into the theme of developing empathy for others. In this case the new teacher who does not know the community. The minor characters are used to deepen the characterisation of the children growing from a state of ignorance to a condition of experience.

[Turk]

In my book it's about Ms. Dubose. That old hag, you know who died at the end of the part.
Anyway i also posted another post before this; but i think we posted our posts in exactly same second; so my post isn't here. I basically said; the book is good; technic is weak. And compared to true masterpieces of art of novel this seems quite average; not more than that.