Wednesday, June 16, 2010

I have got to get by CCIZ more often

"Terry Pratchett is an elegant, witty author whose works reference, well everything. That his books are multi-layered enough to be enjoyed by kids but also by adults is the reason he is a great writer. Of course because Pratchett has created a fantasy world he’s an intellectual light-weight to the scribbling classes but fuck them! Pratchett will be seen as one of the great writers of the C20th and beyond (make us an Igor quick Dr Venter!). I’m sure he is not studied much in English Lit departments but then they do study James Joyce who was an obscurantist bollocks artist. They also study that utter cunt D H Lawrence. I once flicked through “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”. I got more of a stiffy with the Argos catalogue."
This was brought on by a piece of idiocy by a idiot named Rod Liddle which starts
Here is one of life’s little conundrums: what is the correct procedure to follow when you see a grown-up reading the work of JK Rowling or Terry Pratchett on a train? I usually end up kicking them surreptiotiously under the table, then apologising profusely, or “accidentally” smacking them in the head with my luggage.
The gentleman opines that he would have about the same reaction as I would to this jackass:
...and if I was assaulted for that “crime” by Mr Liddle there would be a hoicking up the bracket and indeed elsewise that would make me the stuff of CCTV legend. Liddle would wind-up dictating his mindless drivel by blinking Morse Code from a care-home for the chronically spackered.

Reminds me of some of the idiocies I read years ago from 'thinkers' about Robert Heinlein's works.

3 comments:

Sigivald said...

In fairness to Joyce, his earlier short stories are quite well-written.

But, yes, I wouldn't put Pratchett in the same league as Rowling - rather, a much higher one.

(Not that anyone should be assaulted by an utter prat for reading harmless books like Rowling's. I don't meant to insult Rowling, who is a tolerable if not impressive writer, by all accounts, but to praise Pratchett.)

I suspect that Pratchett has forgotten* more about practical economics, science, and sociology than Liddle ever knew.

(* In the normal sense of that saying. Sadly, early-onset Alzheimer's may have made that statement true in a far sadder sense, which is not the one I mean.)

Anonymous said...

I have read and enjoyed a few of Pratchett's DiscWorld series. As was said, multi-leveled and throughly enjoyable. Not on the same level as Heinlein, but then again, who is?

And as for any idiot who doesn't like what I'm reading -- well, he may suggest his own preferences to me. But to get physical? Depending on circumstances (closeness, travel conditions), the first time I MAY forgive as accidental. The second time -- Katy, bar the door!

B Woodman
III-per

wv: "proll" Exactly!

Firehand said...

It's one of the things that bothers me about clowns like that; it's not enough to not like what you're reading, they seem to think they have some privilege to dictate what you read. Or say, or think.