Voice, past and present

[Steerpike]

@Penpilot - you may well be right. There certainly are such authors still around (and things may even be trending back that way, as I've seen more of it lately). It could be that in terms of sheer numbers there are even more of them now than there were before, but as you said they are a smaller percentage of the whole. Good point.

@Devor - "parasite of creation" refers to the fetus. The girl is pregnant. I think it provides some interesting characterization in terms of how the viewpoint character views pregnancy. The "chains" are metaphorical. I also think there are times when bland or lean prose doesn't deliver on the promise of a scene. I like a lot of the authors who use lean, fast-paced prose with little description and no flowery language, but I like writing in the style of Lee as well, if done with skill. I'd like to see a bit more of the latter on the shelves with all the more modern styles.

[Jess A]

Whether purple prose or grey narrative, every word should serve the story. Same goes for journalism and academic work, I suppose.