The Guardian click-bait - Get real. Terry Pratchett is not a literary genius

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you think that Pratchett will be regarded as an author as significant as Austen by future generations? Not "as popular", but "as significant", which is not at all the same thing.

Yes.

Can I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Pratchet.../dp/188296831X

What do you mean by significant here? Is Wodehouse significant?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Was that agreement? Disagreement?

Enumerate what Austen give to a person? Pratchett handle a lot more subjects in a deep way so statistically it nearly must be that for an arbitrary person Pratchett will give more.

[doubleshuffle]

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes.

Can I recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Pratchet.../dp/188296831X

What do you mean by significant here? Is Wodehouse significant?

"Significance" is indeed hard to define. Look on any list of "great writers in the English language", however, and you'll almost certainly find Austen on that list, along with authors like Shakespeare, Dickens, Trollope, Woolfe, and so on. All these authors are taught in English Literature courses as examples of "great writing" in the English language. I'm sure you could name equivalent examples in the Finnish language.

Do you think that universities will be teaching Pratchett alongside Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen in English Literature courses in 100 years' time?

Is Wodehouse significant? He was certainly an enormously popular writer, and his characters like "Jeeves" have become a part of popular culture. I don't know whether or not he's a "significant" author, though. Did he have a lasting influence on the direction of English literature, in your view?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

"Significance" is indeed hard to define. Look on any list of "great writers in the English language", however, and you'll almost certainly find Austen on that list, along with authors like Shakespeare, Dickens, Trollope, Woolfe, and so on. All these authors are taught in English Literature courses as examples of "great writing" in the English language. I'm sure you could name equivalent examples in the Finnish language.

Do you think that universities will be teaching Pratchett alongside Shakespeare, Dickens, and Austen in English Literature courses in 100 years' time?

You seem to be talking about canonical which is not the same thing as significant.

Finnish?

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is Wodehouse significant? He was certainly an enormously popular writer, and his characters like "Jeeves" have become a part of popular culture. I don't know whether or not he's a "significant" author, though. Did he have a lasting influence on the direction of English literature, in your view?

Explain how Austen had a lasting influence so I can see what you mean by lasting influence.

But since there are authors now that are directly influences by Wodehouse it seems to me that he have a lasting influence. Just like what will happen with Pratchett.

[Cinisajoy]

Can anyone tell me how to get through Atlas Shrugged? Interesting book but all that dialog gets boring rather quickly.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by tompe

Explain how Austen had a lasting influence so I can see what you mean by lasting influence.

Certainly. Austen invented a style of writing which was not "action based" but was instead based on characters revealing their inner thoughts and emotions to the reader. It may seem like an obvious way to write now, but Austen was the first to do it. That had a major influence on the way subsequent authors wrote novels.

[Phogg]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Certainly. Austen invented a style of writing which was not "action based" but was instead based on characters revealing their inner thoughts and emotions to the reader. It may seem like an obvious way to write now, but Austen was the first to do it. That had a major influence on the way subsequent authors wrote novels.

Are you saying that the Book of Job does not also do that?

How does Jane Austin predate Job?

[HarryT]

Nobody had previously written novels like that, unless you're perhaps suggesting that the Book of Job is a novel?

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by tompe

Was that agreement? Disagreement?

Enumerate what Austen give to a person? Pratchett handle a lot more subjects in a deep way so statistically it nearly must be that for an arbitrary person Pratchett will give more.

That was disagreement, I'm afraid.

[eschwartz]

I notice that the Guardian is sending "+GNU Terry Pratchett" in the clacks-overhead...

It seems they cannot make up their mind!

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

That was disagreement, I'm afraid.

Having never read Austen, I don't feel qualified to talk about any depth or messages in her works.

But I do know that many people deride anything non-"literary" as lacking sufficient messages and depth for whatever desperate urge they have to receive messages/depth.

I hope you aren't one of those people. And equally, I hope you realize or will come to discover, that Pterry was in fact quite skilled in that regard.

[HarryT]

You really should give her a go. There's an excellent reason why her novels like "Pride and Prejudice" are widely considered to be masterpieces of English literature; it really is a fabulous read.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Do you think that Pratchett will be regarded as an author as significant as Austen by future generations? Not "as popular", but "as significant", which is not at all the same thing.

Terry Pratchett is more significant than Jane Austen. Also, Pratchett writes in a way that more people can get into. Pratchett is more loved as his death means more to more people.

As for the write of that article,I feel sorry for him since he feels he's more complete for having read Mansfield Park. To me, I think he's less complete for not having read anything by Pratchett. Terry doesn't write fancy literary prose. That much I agree with. But not all books that have literary prose are any good. Dhalgen by Delaney is garbage and it's chock full of literary prose.