Thursday, May 31, 2007
smiles aren't for everyone
i've had trouble with my reading list lately, primarily because i have been misplacing or losing books at a rapid clip. i re-read the first harry potter novel while visiting relatives, and that was of course a great experience. it was also 6 weeks ago. since then, i've been reading this and that, re-reading some things, etc. i checked several promising new non-fiction works out of the library today, and began reading one. it's quite thick. part of the reason i got on this non-fiction thing is i have a friend who refuses to read all fiction. while admirable and inspiring, her stance isn't one i can duplicate. i love novels and short stories. however, it has lent nonfiction reading a rebellious cool it never had before.
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2 comments:
i think i know a lot more people that read non-fiction than fiction. it should come as no surprise that i am not very impressed with the argument that fiction is all a bunch of lies whereas non-fiction is the truth. read any article about a subject you actually know a lot about in a magazine and you will find that people are always getting at least a couple facts wrong (not that a couple unimportant facts wrong is the end of the world). because it is not handicapped by "facts," fiction has the potential to be all the truer and to endure longer, since facts often change.(see brothers karamazov, shakespeare, others).
i did read a really fascinating non-fiction book recently called "The Professor and the Madman" (or something like that) about the Oxford English Dictionary, but the ending was a let-down. i like an ending that packs a punch and most of those are only available in fiction.
anyway, it thought i would rant for a minute. i'm kind of defensive--i know it. it was very cool to see you at dave's wedding.
I have read "The Professor and the Madman," but I can't remember how it ends. Actually, I might have gotten sick of it and given up before the end.
Good argument in favor of fiction. Yay!
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