Comments on: When big enough is too big

By: pb

pb — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:41:50 +0000

The great Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges wrote on this topic:

“It is a laborious madness and an impoverishing one, the madness of composing vast books–setting out in five hundred pages an idea that can be perfectly related orally in five minutes. The better way to go about it is to pretend that those books already exist, and offer a summary, a commentary on them.” From Forward to Fictions.

And the Italian writer Italo Calvino also touched on the subject of shorter literary forms:

“In this preference for short literary forms I am only following the true vocation of Italian literature, which is poor in novelists but rich in poets, who even when they write in prose give of their best in texts where the highest degree of invention and thought is contained in a few pages. This is the case with a book unparalleled in other literatures: Leopardi’s Operetta morali (essays and dialogues). American literature has a glorious and thriving tradition of short stories, and indeed I would say that its most precious gems are to be found there. But the rigid distinction made by publishers–either shrot story or novel–excludes other possible short forms (which still may be found in the prose works of the great American poets, from Walt Whitman’s Specimen Days to many pages of William Carlos Williams). The demands of the publishing business are a fetish that must not be allowed to keep us from trying out new forms. I should like at this point to break a lance on the field for the richness of short literary forms, with all they imply in terms of style and concentration of content…”

With the advent of blogging, I think we have an opportunity to create a rich tradition of high quality short form non-fiction writing.

By: Glyn

Glyn — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 22:24:43 +0000

To quote the old joke: I can’t imagine how a busy man like Jeff has the time to read his own posts, let alone write them.

Pepys Diary: 1660 to 1665, entries fairly succinct. 1665 to 1669, entries fairly verbose.

By: Jeff Jarvis

Jeff Jarvis — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 19:18:01 +0000

Greg:
(SLAP). I asked for that.

suebob: seconded.

ditto blink

By: Greg

Greg — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:49:28 +0000

I would add Jeff’s typical Buzzmachine post to the list of things that are usually too long .

By: Mike G

Mike G — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:21:24 +0000

Bobos in Paradise has a brilliant, insightful introduction. All of whose points are then beaten to death, more and more stridently and ultimately unconvincingly, for 10 or 15 chapters.

The queen of authors whom none dare edit is J.K. Rowling. There’s nothing wrong with the last few Harry Potter books that throwing a third of each one away wouldn’t cure.

By: Suebob

Suebob — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 18:14:23 +0000

I usually love the first half of travel writer Bill Bryson’s books, but by the second half, it seems like he is sick of the trip and I am sick of him.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:53:55 +0000

I second Blink.

By: Jimmy

Jimmy — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:35:52 +0000

Actually, I think books are longer because authors are exerting greater control over their “product” and refusing to allow editors to do their job. I love to read Stephen King and George R. R. Martin, both of whom write excessively large and expensive novels. Both could use with a good editor, but because of their celebrity they can control their work in ways they never could before. Stephen King is a prime example of this. Some his his greatest works were novels in the 200-300 page range: Carrie, The Shining, â€˜Salemâ€™s Lot. Since the Stand, however, (which was much edited) his books have become larger and larger and most of what he writes could be edited out. I will say Kingâ€™s re-issued version of The Stand with material he was required to take out was much better. Is the internet going to help that? Hell, no! The cost-incentive for keep novels to a manageable page count will be gone.

By: ann michael

ann michael — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:34:31 +0000

I love Malcolm Gladwell’s writing, but I thought Blink was much longer then it had to be. It was a great idea, but the point was made (with great illustrations) early on in the book.

By: Wise One

Wise One — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 12:57:32 +0000

I must defend (sort of) “The Wordl Is Flat.” The writer gives us many examples of the changes that the micro chip is making in the white collar world. Other writers mention these changes but “The World…” gives us specifics.

I bought two copies and took four legal pages of notes. It is the “firebell in the night” for our people.

I disagree with the globalization crowd and advocate economic patriotism.