Wednesday 25 July 2007

Chris and the, um, insert your own witty Harry Potter reference here

If you didn’t know already (shame on thee!), my favourite authors are Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and J.R.R Tolkien. They’ve influenced me in some ways, more so in my writings; from the structure, narratives, stories and the enthusiasm to tell stories of my own. I’ve read and own most of their works and will continue to do so. (But not really Tolkien’s, there’s far too many books on why hobbits are hirsute.) Therefore, this brings me to my next statement:

I don’t have any favourite female author.

I’m a fan of both Enid Blyton and J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter 8?) works. Full stop. But their way of writing never did anything for me. Of course, their works are for children, and since I’m no longer a child (though I do act like a prat whenever someone scores against Manchester United) I find it difficult to ally myself with their brand of storytelling.

I remember my first boss telling me that women are the better writers while the men are better at coming up with ideas. Um. I’m not sure since I’m pretty good both. He he. But seriously speaking, there is some truth to it. It all depends on whatever it all depends on, I guess. I find women write best about life in general. Men, on the other hand, are more inclined to be technical and would gladly spew babble that is actually coherent to any man. We men can scrutinise every single facet of a fact, trying to find out if there’s anything wrong with it in the hopes of being called right. Women’s sarcasm and men’s sarcasm differ considerably in that women tend to poke fun at everything and are able to laugh at themselves while men poke fun at, well, women mostly.*

And something off topic but nonetheless something I need to get out of my system:

Who here thinks the last Harry Potter was a success or a failure?

Personally, I think Rowling manages to exonerate herself. Since HP6 was a gigantic WTF, the “repairing” she did here somehow placates the general dissatisfaction towards that unfortunate book. To be honest, the series started going downhill after the third. Subsequent books got longer, heavier (I reckon I can do a few quality arm curls), bloated and had unnecessary plotlines. Seeing as she had the ideas mapped out for all seven books as well as the eventual end being fait accompli, all this even before writing the first, it seems futile to discuss whether or not she could have done it better or differently.

Like in The Lord of the Rings, I was also left with a hole when I finished it. It made me rethink a lot of things, the majority of which I have completely forgotten about. But I do remember the feeling; it was sanguine and uplifting. And I felt it again with the last Harry Potter.

I wonder if reading a chick lit book would be as efficacious…

This is Chris, signing off.

* = Generalising to a certain extent, I know, but bear with me and ask me again what I think in 10 years’ time. Maybe it’ll be different.

PS: My favourite line from HP7 and quite possibly the entire series is definitely this one: “…thought the sun shone out of my brother’s every orifice.” Golden!

7 comments:

Lia said...

Disclaimer: I still think of you as a friend.

(a) Enid Blyton wrote both for and about children. JKR started out writing for and about children, but the later books are only about children, not exclusively for them. In fact, the British version came out in two editions, with different covers: one for children and one for adults. It's a bit like Sesame Street on speed: Sesame Street was written as much for the parents as for the kids (unlike today's kids' shows. UGH!). At some point, JKR realized how much of her audience was adult and started writing for them as well.

(b) The insistence on - no, the conscious realization, and thus conscious attempt to fulfill - "I'm no longer a child" will mean that there are a lot of things you just won't let yourself fully enjoy. And that's just a shame. Disney rocks, and (see above) a lot of purported children's things, billed that way for marketing, are really targeted for adults as well. So you can have your cake and eat it, too.

(c) No women on that list? What about Catherine Asaro, Robin McKinley, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey? And that's just to get started. Of course, I could add to the male list as well. But if you're leaving out the women, you're missing out on some great things.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

When I write I include details like GREEN PIMP hat with a PEACOCK feather stuck to it.

When men write it would read. The bionic man wore a green pimp hat model x9845 with diametrical creases and elliptical details all the while making him completely aerodynamic.

I exaggerate, but that's why I could never make it through a Tom Clancy book. I don't care about mechanical/computer/engineering/aeronautics jargon. It bores me. I want story. No heaving bosoms either. I hate romance novels.

Syar said...

I have the same problem, cause all my favourite books are written by men (favourite author : GaiMAN). But I recently read this book called This Is Not Chick Lit, a compilation of short stories by female writers and well, I haven't given up hope that I'm NOT destined for the chick lit pile. Female writers are alright, they just need to work more on PR.

I loved Harry Potter, because it was so much more than a single book, it was a culmination and a satisfactory one at that.

Hee, I liked that line too. I could so see you as Aberforth.

Mawar said...

funny. my favourite authors are women... they are emotionally more accurate. to me, anyway.

harry potter... was slightly disappointing to me. i cant believe rowling killed so many of my favorite characters. she was also trying to fit in as many answers as possible into one book and that made it seem rushed and overwhelming.

but the ending was beyond cute, so that saved it for me. :)

Jean Knee said...

yeah, I don't know any of those authors, I'm pretty illiterate

elasticwaistbandlady said...

I know the authors, but that doesn't mean I'm reading the books.

I'm a higher leveled illiterate than jean knee. And that's all that really matters to me.

Chris said...

Lia: I think that children should watch Sesame Street as part of their growing up diet. I learned a lot. Bert and Ernie are the best comic duo .

My HP7 is the "adult" one. I told my sis that the children's cover was fugly.

I shall have to rectify the lack of female-written books soon. I think I'll start with your suggestions.

Lady Elastic: I want heaving bosoms.

Syar: Come to think of it, I would so kill it as Aberforth. I just need to get my long grey beard on.

M: She should've killed more! Especially one large fella who got so terribly annoying. I agree with you on the ending. Fitting.

Jean Knee: Nah. No one's illiterate by not knowing a couple of authors.