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					Originally Posted by  issybird
					 
				 
				I think you nailed it with Zen. As for Hardy, he’s good but he’s just so depressing.  I think that’s a special category of “liking”.  It’s not just appreciating the writing; it’s getting caught up in the story and the gut punch at the end.  I think any kind of strong response on that level is to be appreciated, even if it’s not exactly enjoyable. 
			
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 I absolutely agree, Hardy was a master in many ways. I do appreciate his genius, but similar to Margaret Atwood’s, from a safe distance. I can’t see the pleasure, outside of a literature course, but they’re certainly not tedious, and I never found Hardy pretentious. So I was off topic.