"stand the test of time"? I was reading a thread on the other side about Empire and someone made the comment that the book couldn't stand the test of time because of all its modern day references. That made me think.
Do authors expect or want ALL their books to stand the test of time? Or do they write to tell the stories they have to tell? Or is it a little of both?
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
What do you think?
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
LOL. Not being an author I think that most authors write to tell a story not expecting it to last or be popular or win awards. I think if you write with that purpose in mind your story may not be as good. Notice I say may. I can certainly see a great author having a purpose for his/her book and still having it be awesome.
I think that comment just irritated me because I love OSC's books. Sure there are some I read once and never again and there are others I read repeatedly. Then again I have a poor memory so I can get away with it - they often feel new again Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
Dear, there are millions of writers. Might it be that within this population of writer-beings, there is every conceivable subset of ambition?
Great stories, great writing, will last forever, however. In Pompeii, on a wall, there is the lovely line about "Rex loves Octavian," from the Roman days.
Posted by Tara (Member # 10030) on :
I think authors write their books about the things they feel are important, and whether those same things will still be important a hundred years from now, who can say.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
However, a political fiction book like 'Empire' might at least be useful as a potential source for historians in the future.
It could be useful for them to gauge some of the political discussions taking place in popular culture and a few people's concepts of where the future potentially could be headed.
As for the discussion - I think most people are reasonably aware that they probably aren't creating deathless prose. I don't suppose that Dickens and Shakespeare really thought that their works would still be being read by now - they just looked forward to their fans enjoying it, and the money.
For all we know, ’Bridget Jones’s Diary’ might one day be seen as the defining work of our times. It’s impossible to judge from where we're standing.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
I think it is possible to judge -- at the very least -- that if there's a defining work of our times, it ain't 'Bridget Jones' Diary'.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by TL: I think it is possible to judge -- at the very least -- that if there's a defining work of our times, it ain't 'Bridget Jones' Diary'.
Let's hope.
Posted by Liz B (Member # 8238) on :
Hey! That was a really funny book. Maybe kids would like English better if funny books became defining works of their time...instead of, say, The Scarlet Letter.
I, for one, dearly love a laugh.
Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
quote:I have written my work, not as an essay which is to win the applause of the moment, but as a possession for all time.
Thucydides, I, 22
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: For all we know, ’Bridget Jones’s Diary’ might one day be seen as the defining work of our times. It’s impossible to judge from where we're standing.
Please, Zeus, let this not happen.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
a woman perpetually frustrated in love and the lack thereof? sounds like the voice of my generation.
Posted by hugh57 (Member # 5527) on :
quote: Kirk: ... the collected works of Danielle Steel, the novels of Harold Robbins...
Spock: Ah, the Giants!
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
quote:Originally posted by porcelain girl:
a woman perpetually frustrated in love and the lack thereof? sounds like the voice of my generation.
Just yours?
Posted by stihl1 (Member # 1562) on :
I think a lot of authors just want to sell books and make money. Seriously.
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
This author wouldn't mind it.
Enduring contribution to humanity-- that's why I'm a good parent.
I write books because I love the stories.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by hugh57:
quote: Kirk: ... the collected works of Danielle Steel, the novels of Harold Robbins...
Spock: Ah, the Giants!
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
I remember. I threw things at the screen.
Posted by Survivor (Member # 233) on :
You could have thrown a correction at that quote, since Spock says "Greats" rather than "Giants". Kirk's line could use some editing as well, but I don't think anyone is geeky enough to admit knowing it verbatim. I'm certainly not.
Empire will be remembered by history...though perhaps not as favorably as one could hope. Still, it's going to be remembered. I doubt that any of Briget Jones's Diary (aside from the title) will be able to claim that honor.
In any case, when I write my final report on humanity, Empire will rate a mention and BJD probably won't. On the other hand.... Hey, is there some definitive work of modern porn? No, forget I asked. BJD doesn't get a mention, neither does the definitive work of modern porn.
Posted by Liz B (Member # 8238) on :
Bridget Jones's Diary has been incredibly influential in the publishing world. Based on its success, we essentially have a new genre: the humorous 1st person modern romance. Now, this publishing trend has only lasted a decade so far...maybe readers will tire of these "desperate singles" books. In the meantime, though, I think it's worth noting when we're considering what's enduring and what's not. Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Oh gosh I tried to read that book once on a plane when I had finished my book too soon, and someone handed me that one in my connecting airport. It was so bad! I just abandoned it in my seatback pocket.
If that's the defining book for our times, heaven help us! <laughs>
Posted by hugh57 (Member # 5527) on :
quote:Originally posted by Survivor: You could have thrown a correction at that quote, since Spock says "Greats" rather than "Giants". Kirk's line could use some editing as well, but I don't think anyone is geeky enough to admit knowing it verbatim. I'm certainly not.
Well, "Giants" is the way I remembered it. I didn't dig up the DVD to check, and I'm definitely not geeky enough to commit dialogue that precisely to memory. Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by hugh57:
quote: Kirk: ... the collected works of Danielle Steel, the novels of Harold Robbins...
Spock: Ah, the Giants!
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
I remember. I threw things at the screen.
OMG this wasn't a joke?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by hugh57: Well, "Giants" is the way I remembered it. I didn't dig up the DVD to check, and I'm definitely not geeky enough to commit dialogue that precisely to memory.
Neither am I. However, I am geeky enough to own the novelization, and to be able to find the quote. You were right about "giants," but wrong about Danielle Steele (I thought she sounded wrong). It's actually:
quote:Kirk: You mean profanity. That's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word. You'll even find it in all the literature of the period. Spock: For example? Kirk: Oh, the complete works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins . . . Spock: Ah, the giants.
[ February 19, 2007, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: rivka ]
Posted by Survivor (Member # 233) on :
Hmm. Well, I guess I don't think that "giants" makes a lot of sense in that context. I could blame Nimoy's funny drawl, but probably shouldn't. Also, I didn't know that Jacqueling Susann and Harold Robbins had any significance. I have heard of Danielle Steele, though.
I'm not trying to prove anything, by the way. Not saying you guys are geekier than me. No no no. We just care about different things, is all.
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about Empire and someone made the comment that the book couldn't stand the test of time because of all its modern day references. That made me think.![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)