Do American fiction/literature bore you?

Post Reply New Topic

I'm not saying that I don't like American authors; I'm saying that I for some reason I don't like way how they write. Part of it's because I'm not adapted to my culture (even at 17 still!), but I think it's America's writing style as a whole. To me, I like long sentences better, so I would actually enjoy Charles Dicken's writing. Mot Americans say they don't like Dickens because he rambles on; however, I like it because I can see a much more clearer picture and the background of the characters and the places.

As someone else said, most American writers use the short sentences; furhermore, the place they seem to write about is America. To make it worse, they write it in the twenty-first century. Uninterested in the twenty-first century, I struggle to read a book about twenty-first century America. Most Contemporary American books I read use settings based on these two things. Why can't they write about a different country, a different time period?

Of course, there are some books set in America that are written by a foreign author, living in America or not. These authors-- to me, they seem to understand the American culture more than us-- have a unique perspective about America-- unique in a way that it can force us Americans to really think if the actions we choose and the ideas we have in this world and our mindsets-- neurotypicals and autistics-- are what's best for our world. That's what I believe.

Still. I appreciate American authors; I even read American books. John Steinbeck is one of my faviorite writers. It just seems to me that the quality of foreign literature, literary or contemporary, exceeds American fiction. Furthermore, I want to break free of this culture and understand other cultures. For that reason alone, I believe foreign literature achieves these goals: to write a story in the setting of another country/culture and to write with quality.

Sorry for typing another wordy speech.

See, I think what you just wrote illustrates my point. "America's writing style as a whole" - there are SO many different writing styles, again, not just in America, but any country - can you really say there is any writing style "as a whole"? Bridget Jones' Diary is on a par with modern American fiction, but it's British. Compare Jane Austen with Helen Fielding - it's apples and oranges. There is no comparison. They are two completely different styles, yet they are both fiction and they are both British.

The same goes for Americans. Modern American fiction writers write mostly about their time period, but older American writers, Hemingway, Steinbeck, et. al., write about THEIR time period, which certainly isn't the 21st century.

Also, I'd like to know the statistic you found that says most Americans say they don't like Dickens because he rambles on - I think that's a generalization you came up with, maybe based on people you know. I don't think it can actually be said for the country as a whole.

Authors tend to write about their own countries - British authors write in British settings (i.e. Dickens and the industrial revolution in Britain - his time period, his country); Dostoyevsky wrote about 19th Century Russia - his time period and his country. So if you are looking to read about other countries, it makes sense that you'd have to read works written by that country's authors.

Last but not least, there is a huge genre of American Historical Fiction, so even modern American fiction writers do not stick completely to their time period - just like authors of every other country.

What you are saying is that you like reading about other countries and learning about their culture and history through Fiction - it's inaccurate to say that "most American writers use short sentences" or any other generalization about any kind of writing. You can say "Horror fiction is scary", but you can't say "All horror authors use the same style of speech" because it simply isn't true.

Most contemporary authors, no matter where they are from, write about their time period. This is true for authors writing today, and authors writing 100 years ago. They also generally write about their own country.

I'm not judging that you like foreign fiction - it's great to learn about foreign cultures - however, your reasons for doing so just don't make sense.

Pollux, I should correct you - whilst many authors do, in fact, write about their own timeline, there is no disproportionate amount that write solely about their own nation, often considered to be mundane as a setting. Also, there most certainly are distinctive national styles in literature, often as reflecting the culture or national identity. Much the same as with any entertainment form, ie sport, television, theatre and movies.

It's possible to say America's writing style as a whole, but the voice each author has is different. Most books in your country will be books written in your country, so when you read fiction, you'll more likely to acquire the style of you native writers than foreign writers. Besides, most American writers talk about the same thing and write about the same time period in America. Only a few American writers write about a different country.

Maybe it's just a personal thing for me. I like to read and write about different countries and time periods; therefore, when I read about a bokk written in an American city in the twenty-first century it ticks me off. It's just like movies today. I don't like to watch movies today because of this reason. I guess it's an American thing, a way of saying that "America is the best." And it's that kind of thinking that explains why I can't read Contemporary American writing that's set in twenty-first century America; the way how we write about "America" all the time makes me percieve America as arrogant and ignorant of the world around us.

Also, most people I asked say they didn't like Dickens: they say he's boring and that he isn't concrete. Just as most people don't like Dickens for his rambling, so too I don't like Stephen Crane for his short sentences. I like the feel of long sentences; I also write long sentences too. When I read a book that has short sentences, I feel like it doesn't describe very well; however, I have to say that it's more action-packed. Mabye that's why most Americans like short and compound sentences. I like complex, compund-complex, and complicated sentences best. I might read James Joyce someday.

Also pollux. You said something about Hemingway writing about America all the time. I read one short story written by him that was set in Italy; however, the characters in it were American, yet because he wrote the story in the World War I era and because the characters in his story were injured, he put the soldier in an American infermary in Italy.

Sure, a writer's style is individual, but you also have to consider a cultural style. It's wrong for me to say I hate American fiction, but really, when I said I didn't like American Fiction, I meant I don't like the style. Every writer has a his own individualistic voice; each country, its public's style; a time period, its own culture. I don't like American rap because they talk about the same thing and because the music's all the same to me, but that's just about every style of the arts. Sure, I have a few issues with most American authors; however, a few Americans-- FItzgerald, Aurthur Miller, Langston Hughes, Steinbeck-- have a voice so distinctive that it sets them apart from the other writers, have a voice so distinctive that it produces a unique work, a unique book, a unique masterpiece. That being said, I read American fiction; it's just that I don't like the style most Americans put out there. I just don't feel it in American, or better yet, Contemporary fiction. I want to be a writer, but the style and type of stuff this era engendered ticks me off. I want to experience a new style of writing, a new era of a new voice.

So, therefore it would be impossible to write a story (from an American) that was set in an unidentified place, time, that would be suitable?

You can read as you like. If you want really different styles, there's this French writer who wrote 2 books, where

1) the entire book is a palindrome
2) the other book does not contain the letter 'e'

The short sentence thing is probably Hemingway's fault. It's been lampooned as much as it's been used. To be honest, the only Hemingway books I know are set in Italy, Spain, and the Caribbean.

There's as many reasons to read as there are books. If you choose to ignore us, that's cool.

If you like long sentences, try reading some Poe. He is the master of verbosity.

Yes, most of it does.

considering Hemingway blew his brains out in 1960, I can't see how he'd write much past that...

Actually, Dickens' novels were serialized, and published in magazines. People used to hang out at the docks for the latest installment, and were heartbroken (for example) when they read of 'Little Dorrits' death.

I think the British authors had a wider readership in the US in the 19th century than Americans at one point, something about copywright law not extending across the Atlantic and the bootlegs being really cheap?

Pakled, do you know who it was who wrote both the palindrome book and the book with the letter e in it? It mentions both those games here but they were written by 2 different people. Interesting anyhow!

http://www.philobiblon.com/isitabook/games/index.html

I'm not really interested in any kind of fiction unless it closely relates to one of my obsessions. I've been able to enjoy reading a collection of mystery science-fiction stories by Isaac Asimov. Other than that, I don't read fiction.

I'm sorry, but I don't know who actually did them. It's been in the last 20 years, that's all I remember. You could probably Google it.

I read too much to limit myself. As many people around me get frustrated trying to get me books; half the time I don't even know what I want until I find it. I alternate between fiction and non-fiction, but I put away about 50-60 books a year...

I don't generally judge books on where they come from. I don't look at books from one country and think they will be specifically good or bad; I generally read the blurb and the first few pages and decide whether I will read the book based on that.

no..why would it?

I probably think that I don't like the writers' voice maybe that's why I can't read them. Like Paolini's. His voice sounds to much like someone who lived in the Victorian Era or at the age of Western Imperialism. In fact, I think he's trying to copy Tolkien'd voice so much that it's bland. I think if you read Tolkien's work and Paolini's you'll see that Tolkien's voice is original and Paolini's is just a mere mimic of Tolkien. Even the setting, the character's name and personality, and the type of creatures he uses, and how it's written sound the same. So his voice is--like you might say it--boring.

THat's how I feel with most writers. I think there voice is not original, like they tried to copy Hemingway or Dickens or Faulkner all their lives. Also, the rules the teachers teach us (e.g. always use complete sentences, never start a sentence with but, use transitions between scenes) cramps our voices too. Sometimes we have to break the rules in order to achieve our voice. In fact, you have to break the rules to make your work contemporary and publishable. Now if someone can tell that to English teachers and Literary professors so our writers can improve their voice.

While I've read a few American books I've enjoyed, I must say the most deeply moving books I've read have generally not been American. Or English language in general...