I recommend you read the book. It's not long and it leaves an impression.
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Remarkable Works I've Read
- Thread starter skip.knox
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pmmg
Myth Weaver
Here's one you might like. My Father in Law had it. Kind of a diary of a mountain man in western Maryland. Has a lot of how he managed the wild, tracked, chose his guns, lived his life and all that.
44 years of the life of a hunter
44 years of the life of a hunter
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll bookmark it. Sounds like it's up my alley.
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- #24
Currently reading a couple of worthwhile books. One is Edmund Burke's essay on the French Revolution. It is about what I'd expected, but I came across a statement that has stuck with me. It is as good a statement of the ideal of knighthood (mind you, the ideal, not the reality) as I've seen. I post it here in case it provides some inspiration to my fellow writers.
It is part of a longer statement about what sort of people would be likely to take up the cause of overthrowing a government; revolutionaries, in short. The full sentence speaks of the wise, the sensitive, and ends with
""the brave and bold, from the love of honorable danger in a generous cause:"
I love that statement. The brave and the bold, because it is possible to be one without being the other. "Honorable danger" is an example of Burke's careful phrasing. Danger itself is not worthy of love, for that is mere recklessness, which is to say acting without reckoning. Only honorable danger is worthy of the true knight (or patriot). But even that is not enough. It must be honorable danger "in a generous cause."
So nicely put! There are many causes, but the worthy knight must support only the generous cause, the cause that benefits others rather than himself.
While I might not care for Burke's politics, and I certainly don't agree with his history, I have to admire his abilities as an essayist. I don't think one could craft a more compact statement of an ideal knight than one who is brave and bold, who loves honorable danger in a generous cause.
It is part of a longer statement about what sort of people would be likely to take up the cause of overthrowing a government; revolutionaries, in short. The full sentence speaks of the wise, the sensitive, and ends with
""the brave and bold, from the love of honorable danger in a generous cause:"
I love that statement. The brave and the bold, because it is possible to be one without being the other. "Honorable danger" is an example of Burke's careful phrasing. Danger itself is not worthy of love, for that is mere recklessness, which is to say acting without reckoning. Only honorable danger is worthy of the true knight (or patriot). But even that is not enough. It must be honorable danger "in a generous cause."
So nicely put! There are many causes, but the worthy knight must support only the generous cause, the cause that benefits others rather than himself.
While I might not care for Burke's politics, and I certainly don't agree with his history, I have to admire his abilities as an essayist. I don't think one could craft a more compact statement of an ideal knight than one who is brave and bold, who loves honorable danger in a generous cause.
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- #25
And another from the same essay by Burke.
"People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors."
George Santayana is the alleged author of "those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it" or some such variant, but I like Burke's better. The formal study of history is rather a cultural luxury; Burke's statement applies up and down the social scale, and makes no (unwarranted) assertions about learning.
"People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestors."
George Santayana is the alleged author of "those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it" or some such variant, but I like Burke's better. The formal study of history is rather a cultural luxury; Burke's statement applies up and down the social scale, and makes no (unwarranted) assertions about learning.
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- #26
A final post here, this one intended specifically for writers. It's a tiny anecdote found in Andrew Roberts' massive biography of Napoleon.
When Nappy decided to snatch Portugal and Spain for France (thereby positioning himself to attack England), he introduced the usual Revolution-era reforms into the Spanish states. Aragon was among those that resisted violently. Specifically, Saragossa. The resistance was led by a minor noble named Palafox (look up the First Siege of Saragossa, 1808). He fought the advancing French forces, but they were far more numerous and he managed to do little more than delay them. When he finally retreated behind the walls, he could count only about three hundred veteran soldiers, a couple thousand volunteers, and the citizenry (about 50,000).
There followed a brutal siege. At one point, after a couple months of siege forays and bombardments, the French commander sent word to Palafox demanding full capitulation. Palafox's reply was three words long:
Guerra al cuchillo
"War by knife"
History has a number of dramatic siege moments. I'm happy to add this one to the list. It's absolutely one I intend to steal, should the opportunity arise.
When Nappy decided to snatch Portugal and Spain for France (thereby positioning himself to attack England), he introduced the usual Revolution-era reforms into the Spanish states. Aragon was among those that resisted violently. Specifically, Saragossa. The resistance was led by a minor noble named Palafox (look up the First Siege of Saragossa, 1808). He fought the advancing French forces, but they were far more numerous and he managed to do little more than delay them. When he finally retreated behind the walls, he could count only about three hundred veteran soldiers, a couple thousand volunteers, and the citizenry (about 50,000).
There followed a brutal siege. At one point, after a couple months of siege forays and bombardments, the French commander sent word to Palafox demanding full capitulation. Palafox's reply was three words long:
Guerra al cuchillo
"War by knife"
History has a number of dramatic siege moments. I'm happy to add this one to the list. It's absolutely one I intend to steal, should the opportunity arise.
Jackarandajam
Maester
Just finished No Country For Old Men and All The Pretty Horses, both by Cormac Mccarthy. I've read a few of his other works, and I have to say Horses is probably the most approachable, and the one I would recommend to anyone interested.
Read back to back, the excessive nihilism is exhausting.
From a writerly perspective his prose is certainly worth a study, his long sentences, and how lightly he paints characters that still feel very realized. He's very minimalistic and concise, but still writes beautifully, and some of his descriptions are the best I've ever read.
He holds onto his theme like a true master... unfortunately, all of his books have the same theme: life sucks, the incredibly tough make it but don't enjoy it, morality is a cheap facade worn by the stubbornly ignorant and probably doomed, and evil is everywhere, all the time, in every form, and can't reasonably be differentiated from good.
Hopelessness, in a word.
I recommend one of his books a year, no more, read from a writers perspective.
Read back to back, the excessive nihilism is exhausting.
From a writerly perspective his prose is certainly worth a study, his long sentences, and how lightly he paints characters that still feel very realized. He's very minimalistic and concise, but still writes beautifully, and some of his descriptions are the best I've ever read.
He holds onto his theme like a true master... unfortunately, all of his books have the same theme: life sucks, the incredibly tough make it but don't enjoy it, morality is a cheap facade worn by the stubbornly ignorant and probably doomed, and evil is everywhere, all the time, in every form, and can't reasonably be differentiated from good.
Hopelessness, in a word.
I recommend one of his books a year, no more, read from a writers perspective.
Prince of Spires
Istar
I'm currently reading Coup D'Etat, a practical handbook, by Edward Luttwak.
With a title like that, I couldn't resist getting it. It definitely fits the remarkable works category, in the sense that it's exactly what the title suggests, namely, it's a practical handbook about how to perform a coup d'etat. It gives you an overview of what groups you need to infiltrate, how to plan your timeline, who you need to focus your attention on, and why coups fail or work. All of it written from the perspective of someone who would plan a coup. It's a brilliant read.
With a title like that, I couldn't resist getting it. It definitely fits the remarkable works category, in the sense that it's exactly what the title suggests, namely, it's a practical handbook about how to perform a coup d'etat. It gives you an overview of what groups you need to infiltrate, how to plan your timeline, who you need to focus your attention on, and why coups fail or work. All of it written from the perspective of someone who would plan a coup. It's a brilliant read.
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- #29
OK, this is listening, not reading, but it's closely related. Broadway is My Beat
I recommend to all who have written at least a couple of books that they listen to some old-time radio. The comedy is (very) occasionally funny. Much of the drama is sappy, but some of it is quite good. Even so, there's something to be learned from how you construct a story using only voice and sound effects. You will gain a new appreciation for the importance of narrative "voice". Have hundreds of examples of how to do pacing, how to pull of a twist (and how to muff one), and so on.
With the case in point, it's how to write purple prose. No other single source reaches for the stars the way Broadway is My Beat does. Sure, one can laugh at it, but I've been surprised at how it can also sometimes be successful. Somehow, at least for me, listening to a show (and being able to re-listen) really plays up technique--use of repetition, for example. At the same time, there are techniques that don't carry over smoothly to prose--the dramatic pause, inflection, that sort of thing. But I'm still made aware when it's being used, which leads me to wonder how I might accomplish something similar in prose.
Anyway, recommended listening. Even if you don't have a service (such as Sirius) that carries old-time radio, there are web sites and of course the Internet Archive where you can find tons of shows. I'm happy to recommend some, if anyone is interested.
I recommend to all who have written at least a couple of books that they listen to some old-time radio. The comedy is (very) occasionally funny. Much of the drama is sappy, but some of it is quite good. Even so, there's something to be learned from how you construct a story using only voice and sound effects. You will gain a new appreciation for the importance of narrative "voice". Have hundreds of examples of how to do pacing, how to pull of a twist (and how to muff one), and so on.
With the case in point, it's how to write purple prose. No other single source reaches for the stars the way Broadway is My Beat does. Sure, one can laugh at it, but I've been surprised at how it can also sometimes be successful. Somehow, at least for me, listening to a show (and being able to re-listen) really plays up technique--use of repetition, for example. At the same time, there are techniques that don't carry over smoothly to prose--the dramatic pause, inflection, that sort of thing. But I'm still made aware when it's being used, which leads me to wonder how I might accomplish something similar in prose.
Anyway, recommended listening. Even if you don't have a service (such as Sirius) that carries old-time radio, there are web sites and of course the Internet Archive where you can find tons of shows. I'm happy to recommend some, if anyone is interested.
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- #30
The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forester.
A remarkable work that consistently scored high in rankings and collections. I never encountered it until recently. It scores for "predicting" Internet-like phenomena, but that's secondary to me. I'm struck by what inferences he draws from having a world-wide system of communication and supply. To paraphrase just one observation: humans spent thousands of years going out into the world to get things; now it has found how to bring things to them, and need not go out at all.
I was also struck by a storytelling technique. The aim is to present a warning. That's fine. Jeremiads are a specialty of SF. The story has to describe this future world; we have to understand it in order to be horrified by it. And that's fine as well. But that runs a heavy risk of infodump. So far, it's all description with a dose of moralizing. Where's the story?
Forester uses a simple device: the story opens with a son calling his mother and asking her to come visit. Face to face, which simply was not done. Something has happened, he tells her, and he refuses to discuss it except face to face. And they live on opposite sides of the world.
By this device, Forester moves the POV character (the mother) *through* the world. This provides not only opportunity to describe the world, it allows her to react to that world. Since she never goes out, she sees things for the first time. It's a perfect device.
It's not a long work. It's been collected in various places, and is out of copyright and so can be found online as well.
A remarkable work that consistently scored high in rankings and collections. I never encountered it until recently. It scores for "predicting" Internet-like phenomena, but that's secondary to me. I'm struck by what inferences he draws from having a world-wide system of communication and supply. To paraphrase just one observation: humans spent thousands of years going out into the world to get things; now it has found how to bring things to them, and need not go out at all.
I was also struck by a storytelling technique. The aim is to present a warning. That's fine. Jeremiads are a specialty of SF. The story has to describe this future world; we have to understand it in order to be horrified by it. And that's fine as well. But that runs a heavy risk of infodump. So far, it's all description with a dose of moralizing. Where's the story?
Forester uses a simple device: the story opens with a son calling his mother and asking her to come visit. Face to face, which simply was not done. Something has happened, he tells her, and he refuses to discuss it except face to face. And they live on opposite sides of the world.
By this device, Forester moves the POV character (the mother) *through* the world. This provides not only opportunity to describe the world, it allows her to react to that world. Since she never goes out, she sees things for the first time. It's a perfect device.
It's not a long work. It's been collected in various places, and is out of copyright and so can be found online as well.
Finchbearer
Istar
Sifted through half of Mythic Scribes to arrive here again; currently reading The Taiga Syndrome and…wow. I rarely say that. Wish I could read it in the original Spanish, but I the English translation is beating along nicely.
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- #32
I'm currently reading The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat. It's too soon for me to judge that work as remarkable (though it's a classic), but it did remind me of The Sand Pebbles.
Now that was a remarkable book. The movie is excellent, a fond project of Steve McQueen, who did well in it, but the book is still better. Like many remarkable books, it takes a rather mundane plot and by sensitivity and brilliant prose, turns it into something special. After all, it's just a patrol boat going up river in China. Yes, the time period is tense, but it's a far cry from a war story. And yes, the main character does fall in love, but it's not a love story either.
It's just life, brilliantly observed and movingly told.
Fantasy could do this sort of thing, but rarely does.
Now that was a remarkable book. The movie is excellent, a fond project of Steve McQueen, who did well in it, but the book is still better. Like many remarkable books, it takes a rather mundane plot and by sensitivity and brilliant prose, turns it into something special. After all, it's just a patrol boat going up river in China. Yes, the time period is tense, but it's a far cry from a war story. And yes, the main character does fall in love, but it's not a love story either.
It's just life, brilliantly observed and movingly told.
Fantasy could do this sort of thing, but rarely does.
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