|
LACK OF CHARACTER
LACK OF CHARACTER
Sean, here:
Re the lack of character in mystery/thriller genre, to me it seems that the Americn culture had been infantilized and monstrous summs of money have been used and made in accomplishing it, creating a comic book culture. Hollywood makes film after film based on comic books and they sell. A few years ago Yogi Berra (granted, a sweet guy)was the only person in America who would be seen readimg one on a bus(an old story about that). Now they and all their shabby equivilents are hugely embedded throughout the adult poplation.
It used to be said that only crimminals and children wanted instant gratification, now evryone wants explosions and massacres one after the other. Friends in the film industry, where many of the executives these days come from Ivy League schools,want the whole story dumped in the first act, leaving the writer nowhere to go. Aristotle twirling in his urn People who teach writing in all venues say their students are terribly ill-read and even border-line illiterate.
One last comment and then I'Ill get out of the park. Ignore the fashionable, the well-sold, try early LeCarre', Furst, Simenon, the latter Graham Greene's and a helluva lot more. Believe it or not, Blazac wrote several novels about one of the best arch-villains in literature.
Sorry, I've been a bit windy. I apologize, Sounding off keeps my hair from falling out.
|