The plague

Bellow, for me, wrote three pretty great novels, Augie March, Herzog and Humboldt's Gift. I also like Henderson. He also wrote a lot of tiresome stuff and said an inordinate number of stupid things. But three or four great novels, even with their bits of tedious huffing and puffing, ain't peanuts.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Bellow, for me, wrote three pretty great novels, Augie March, Herzog and Humboldt's Gift. I also like Henderson. He also wrote a lot of tiresome stuff and said an inordinate number of stupid things. But three or four great novels, even with their bits of tedious huffing and puffing, ain't peanuts.
Click to expand...

I'm not discounting the work altogether, but I continue to get far more insight and enjoyment from Nabokov.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Scott Kraft:
I continue to get far more insight and enjoyment from Nabokov.
Click to expand...

That's like saying God is better than St. Boniface.
Click to expand...

Don't be talkin' no smack about the guy who stole the pagans' heathen ritual and rebranded it as the Christmas tree! He's the patron saint of my "profession"!
 
originally posted by Yixin:
Bellow is for adolescent wannabe Eng Lit majors.
Click to expand...

I never met an actual adolescent wannabe Eng Lit major who liked Bellow. Few actual just post-adolescent Eng Lit majors like Bellow.

I agree with Sharon. Of course Nabokov is better than Bellow. Derek Jeter is better than Phil Rizzuto. Milton is better than Andrew Marvell. Beethoven is better than Schubert. George Eliot is better than Thackeray. No reason for culling.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Yixin:
Bellow is for adolescent wannabe Eng Lit majors.
Click to expand...

I never met an actual adolescent wannabe Eng Lit major who liked Bellow. Few actual just post-adolescent Eng Lit majors like Bellow.

I agree with Sharon. Of course Nabokov is better than Bellow. Derek Jeter is better than Phil Rizzuto. Milton is better than Andrew Marvell. Beethoven is better than Schubert. George Eliot is better than Thackeray. No reason for culling.
Click to expand...
All this snarky ranking is beginning to make this place sound like the Squires English Lit Board.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Yixin:
Bellow is for adolescent wannabe Eng Lit majors.
Click to expand...

I never met an actual adolescent wannabe Eng Lit major who liked Bellow. Few actual just post-adolescent Eng Lit majors like Bellow.

I agree with Sharon. Of course Nabokov is better than Bellow. Derek Jeter is better than Phil Rizzuto. Milton is better than Andrew Marvell. Beethoven is better than Schubert. George Eliot is better than Thackeray. No reason for culling.
Click to expand...
All this snarky ranking is beginning to make this place sound like the Squires English Lit Board.
Click to expand...
Not a bad idea, though. Let's start giving them points. Marvell gets an average of 90 points for his work, but (sort of like the 1990 Beausejour) manages a home run (99 points) with To His Coy Mistress...

Then, we can just list them without notes:
Nabokov's Ada: 99 points
Nabokov's Transparent Things: 96 points (probably I am the only one who thinks so)...
Nabokov's Lolita: 95 points
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Of course Nabokov is better than Bellow. Derek Jeter is better than Phil Rizzuto. Milton is better than Andrew Marvell. Beethoven is better than Schubert. George Eliot is better than Thackeray. No reason for culling.
Click to expand...

I'd give Milton a 98, but you can't dance to him.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Of course Nabokov is better than Bellow. Derek Jeter is better than Phil Rizzuto. Milton is better than Andrew Marvell. Beethoven is better than Schubert. George Eliot is better than Thackeray. No reason for culling.
Click to expand...

I'd give Milton a 98, but you can't dance to him.
Click to expand...

I did the points to lit greats once on the Squires Board to distinguish between "we can tell x is great" and I can give every wine in the world a precise point. He didn't think it was funny. I, by the way, think you guys are all overrating most of these people. If we are giving "To His Coy Mistress" a 99, what will you have left for poems by Shelley, Dickinson, Yeats, etc., etc. And if Nabokov gets a 99, I take it the biggies of early 20th century Modernism, Ulysses, Magic Mountain, Man Without Qualities, all get 110? The point of my original post really was that "better" wasn't an interesting concept unless your aim was culling. Mine isn't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top