Craft doesn't change? I beg to differ. Written in a different
time, Hemingway's or Hammett's stripped-down writing might
very well have been considered bad craft.
I don't believe style and craft can be isolated. The analogy
that comes quickest to my mind is music, new styles are often
thought to be nothing more than badly crafted versions of
earlier styles, instead of well-crafted versions that come to
define a new style. For instance, rock 'n' roll was dismissed
as bad r 'n' b, until people recognized it had its own style
_and_ craft. The same goes for painting, Impressionism was
dismissed as blurry paintings until people recognized they
were well-done in their new style.
I believe the same goes for writing. I am not claiming that
all bad writing could be considered a well-crafted version of
some new style, but every once in a while a bit is in the
vanguard.
Mark
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