Friday, Hurrah!

[charliesmum]

Hey. Arthur Miller died. For me Author Miller belongs to the class of writers that think depressing=literary. I mean Death of a Salesman isn't exactly a laugh riot, is it? Still he was an American icon, and people will probably be dissecting his words for years to come, so Rest in Peace, Author Miller.

I recently got the most recent Xanth paperback by Piers Anthony. I started reading his Xanth books in the early 80's when I got 'A Spell for Chameleon" for Christmas. They've evolved quite a bit since then, and Xanth quite frankly pales in comparison to Discworld, but i still read his books for sentimental reasons. Piers seems to be one of those 'dirty old men' of the twinkly-eyed variety, not really offensive as it's obvious he means no offense, but rather obsessed with shapely legs and breasts just the same. I'm only bringing this up because I'm wondering who else on my flist reads/has read Piers Anthony and what your opinion of him is.

Comments

[carlanime.livejournal.com]

I used to read the Xanth novels back when I was in junior high, because I had a fondness for shameless puns.

Eventually I think I just got bored with it. But at the time I thought well of him, particularly his Incarnations of Immortality series. I had no idea there were still Xanth novels being written.

[crossbow1.livejournal.com]

Heh. I had a fondness for lame puns before I started reading them. They cured me of that.

[purplemer3.livejournal.com]

Arthur Miller was brilliant. He was one of the few authors that I actually enjoyed reading in all of my years of university English classes.

[dindin.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed Xanth when I was young. Apparently more than a few people believe his books to be pedophelia oriented.

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

Apparently more than a few people believe his books to be pedophelia oriented. Really? How very odd. Not quite sure I see the connection, but I guess he does talk about the 'Adult Conspiracy' a lot. I don't know. People are just weird.

[dindin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's it. I tried to find the conversation I had with yendi about it, but couldn't.

[fourthage.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Yeah. I was already outgrowing Piers Anthony when I came across his Firefly, which has a 5 year old girl and a convicted pedophile in an very explicit relationship. He even wrote that he meant the book to examine relationships people automatically assume are wrong and show that maybe they aren't always. It's like he took every pedophile's justification (just showing love/the child was seductive) and made it fact instead of their twisted rationale. My taste for him disappeared after that.

[crossbow1.livejournal.com]

WHAT???
Whoa. I had no idea. I knew he was infatuated with kids but I never thought it was a sexual thing, more of an idealization thing. How totally creepy.

[jessii-6.livejournal.com]

RIP Arthur Miller. I had to study All My Sons for my English finals

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

I forgot about All My Sons. The Boy I Loved in College did a scene from that - it was very moving. And depressing.

[dindin.livejournal.com]

For me Author Miller belongs to the class of writers that think depressing=literary

Isn't life depressing?

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

Isn't life depressing? No. Live is suffering. Subtle difference! :) Actually that's why I'm not way keen on my literature being depressing - I live in a world that doesn't guarentee happy endings, I want to escape, however briefly, to a place that does.

Big escapist, me.

[dindin.livejournal.com]

But that doesn't mean it's not literature. :)

[charliesmum.livejournal.com]

Oh I know - I just feel like American writers in the 20th century felt like their work had to be dead depressing and laden with symbolism in order for it to be considered quality. Probably because that's what the English teachers had to foist upon us. I mean, Charles Dickens wrote lots of really comedic books that were still brilliant and full of social commentary (and suitable death scenes) and the one we read in class was A Tale of Two Cities, his least comedic.

But that's just me. I think at one point I just got tired of dead (and not so dead) guys telling me the world sucks, ya know?

[swordmage.livejournal.com]

I've tried Piers Anthony a couple of times. He just hasn't held my interest for whatever reason(s).

And I love Arthur Miller, The Crucible is one of my favorites.

[crossbow1.livejournal.com]

I LOVED A Spell for Chameleon. I didn't like The Source of Magic so much, but I really liked Castle Roogna. But then Centaur Aisle came out, and it was totally lame, and after that they just got lamer and lamer. I don't remember what the last one I read was, but I didn't hang in there very long after Centaur Aisle.

You know, I sort of like "Death of a Salesman," but I don't see why it's so popular. It's always playing SOMEWHERE around here. I'm not sure which of his other plays I've seen. I'll have to look them up.

[crossbow1.livejournal.com]

I just checked - the only other play of his I know is "The Crucible." I've only seen a TV production, and it was stilted.