I wrote:
>> "And, when you are dealing with people who like
99% or better in a given
>> genre, you are not dealing with critical
readers."
>
> Even if completists find value in every word ever
scribbled by a
> preferred scribe (and is that really any different
from academics who
> want to pore over a revered author's papers,
everything from early
> drafts to shopping lists?), I refuse to believe they
find them all of
> equal value.
Go check out some of the ERB and REH lists...
And I'm also refering to pastiches here too, which ERB and
REH seem to have drawn like flies to ... At least in the case
of ERB his estate squashed most of them, so at least then you
had to have "original" creations (however unoriginal). In
REH's case, the rights holders for awhile didn't care so long
as they got $$$. Many wallow in this stuff and proclaim its
merits.
>For instance, I know a lot of fans (myself included)
who
> spend a lot of time ranking the works of favorite
artists. They may
> extend the auteur theory to its breaking point by
finding great value in
> an author's least works (or even perversely liking
the worst best
> because they are so odd and idiosyncratic), but the
search for value is
> due to the way the best works moved them, and the
value found is in how
> the lesser works illuminate the best and/or how the
individul works
> function within the metanovel of the author's entire
catalog.
Nothing wrong here, but really go check some of these boards
and lists out. One could wish many would take your
attitude.
>
> For example, I doubt anyone would claim Block's
pseudonymous sleaze
> novels are his best work, but many of us are
interested in reading them.
> Part of that comes from the simple enjoyment of the
story told. I very
> much enjoyed Lucky at Cards as a good read. That
does not, however,
> mean that I thought it was anywhere near as good as,
say, his Girl with
> the Long Green Heart or Eight Million Ways to
Die.
Beleive me, I am not out to criticize you personally!
Best, MEH (another Mark)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 16 Nov 2007 EST