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What are you reading (May 2011)
- Thread starter Maklershed
- Start date
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
Dresden said:
Bluebeard's a pretty interesting one. I don't remember much from it except for the unveiling of the painting at the end, though. Of all the minor characters he could choose to focus a whole novel on, though, I was always surprised he chose fuckin' Rabo Karabekian of all people. Though of course, Vonnegut does a pretty effective job lampooning the modern art fraud, which is always entertaining.
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
l think its faults are actually a result of whatever strengths Vonnegut does have as a writer, because it shows that while he may be a stylistically interesting writer he is still a rather limited writer in terms of knowing his talents and using them to his advantage. I get that the book is supposed to stretch his schtick to its breaking point, but to what degree it's a success or even a worthwhile endeavor is seriously questionable. The more post-modernist choices in this book he makes aren't interesting (self-reference, making himself a character) and don't make the book compelling to me; they've all been done before in other contexts and done better. They just smack of paltry contrivance, and his boredom with the book is a good argument for the audience to feel alienated. Like I said, it seems more like a personal exercise, like something he typed out to work through his anguish in a basement at night. If that's the case he should have left the thing unpublished or burned it. It might be said to be a definitive work of his, in that no one else could write it, but it exposes at the same time his worse tendencies as a writer - flat prose, a certain obnoxiousness in his succint but rambling style, narrative contrivances. I had no idea people even cared for this book, I could barely finish it myself. My honest opinion is that it's a self-indulgent mess, but I guess if you're smitten with post-modern fiction then you'll enjoy it.
Granger Danger
Member
Ratrat said:
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
SolKane said:
I actually pretty much hate PoMo through and through, but I thought Vonnegut made it work very well for this story; indeed, I'm hard-pressed to think of many other places where I HAVE seen them done better. And though his prose is spare, I don't think that it's flat at all; the sentences stack up upon one another in a way that they lead into his punchlines and observations perfectly, and their very bluntness lends them a depth of insight that few other authors, humorists or otherwise, can achieve. And where in the book do you see boredom? It's a damned fun book to read, and you can really tell that, regardless of what he may have said in the book, he had a blast writing it.
Edit: And what in the hell is being 'indulged' if it's self-indulgent?
alex chilton
Member
Zeth said:
Freedom may not be a pageturner plot wise, but the prose is so enjoyably readable that its easy to blow through 100 pages and not notice it.
Snowman Prophet of Doom said:
It's his ego which is being indulged:
"This is a very bad book you're writing," I said to myself behind my leaks.
"I know," I said.
"You're afraid you'll kill yourself the way your mother did," I said.
"I know," I said.
"I know," I said.
"You're afraid you'll kill yourself the way your mother did," I said.
"I know," I said.
The intent of the book is clear - it's an ego laxative for Vonnegut. I get it. It just doesn't make good literature, but it sure does make good shit.
Maklershed
Member
Snowman Prophet of Doom
Member
SolKane said:
A good-natured ribbing of himself = the book is an "ego laxative?" You're way overreaching, man. You may not have liked the book, but it IS well-written, artistically speaking.
Edit: Whoops, didn't realize the new thread was up when I bumped it.