A note on genre
amlit338
_Dispatches_ is not a novel, but a collection of essays written originally for _Esquire_ magazine (of all places). But it will be interesting to think about the ways in which Herr uses the devices of a fiction writer. Be sure to ask Prof. Heberle questions today!
aloha, Susan
_Dispatches_ is not a novel, but a collection of essays written originally for _Esquire_ magazine (of all places). But it will be interesting to think about the ways in which Herr uses the devices of a fiction writer. Be sure to ask Prof. Heberle questions today!
aloha, Susan
posted by Susan at 8:32 AM
5 Comments:
I happen to subscribe to Esquire. Sometimes the articles are surprisingly good. Sometimes the articles resemble the popular laddie magazines.
I am sort of surprised that Herr's Dispatches was written for Esquire; but with that context I think I am beginning to understand its often disconnecting tales.
I'm a poet, so I read everything, including novels, as if they were poems. But I really do find Herr's work powerful in the way prose poems are powerful--take a moment to appreciate individual sentences, the ways in which he _hears_ and then records voices, the images. It's strong writing.
You can generally tell a book's genre by the label recorded on the back cover. This one says "military history," though, which is only part of what's going on in this book.
sms
and to Joshua--read this book as if it were a series of Linh Dinh poems. Really!
Dinh. Hmm. I am enjoying it. I just had that one critique on the way it is structured. Sometimes it takes me a while to get into it when reading it. Plus, this guy's writing isn't half as batshit insane as Linh Dinh's writing.
But, OK. I will approach it with hope that I can see more of the insanity. :)
Oh, and before... I was going to say in my post that it seemed more like a big essay than a novel. Not going to try to read it like a novel anymore... Maybe that will help.
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