From the General to the Specific

Posted 5 August, 2008 in Literary Criticism, Writing |

For all of you (*cough* Claire Cameron *cough*) who bemoaned my refusal to review Nathan Whitlock’s novel, A Week of This, August Bourré has posted a thoughtful review, which evolves into an eloquent defence of realism as a legitimate and viable fictional mode:

The argument that realism is stale and outdated may have some accuracy to it, if one were to speak only in generalities. The mode has been around in almost its present form for well over a hundred years, after all, and the seeds of it were around for at least a hundred years prior to that. But is this the same as stale and outdated? Absolutely not. One has to go from the general to the specific in order to find innovation. When a form has been established, like with graphic design or some other discipline, the challenge becomes, not necessarily to smash or challenge the form, but to create something unique and beautiful within its limits. I can think of dozens of beautiful and unique realist novels, but I can think of only a handful that smash those conventions entirely and remain compelling. Experimental fiction has been scrupulously predictable for most of my lifetime.

1 comment to “From the General to the Specific”

Claire Cameron, August 5th, 2008 at 2:18 pm:

• can I get you a glass of water?

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