Welcome to the Literary Blog Hop hosted by The Blue Bookcase!
This monthly blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.
How do I know if my blog qualifies as "literary"? Literature has many definitions, but for our purposes your blog qualifies as "literary" if it focuses primarily on texts with aesthetic merit. In other words, texts that show quality not only in narrative but also in the effect of their language and structure. YA literature may fit into this category, but if your blog focuses primarily on non-literary YA, fantasy, romance, paranormal romance, or chick lit, you may prefer to join the blog hop at Crazy-for-books that is open to book blogs of all kinds.
Instructions for entering the Literary Blog Hop:
1. Grab the code for the Button.
2. Answer the following prompt on your blog.
(Suggestions for future prompts? Email to them us at thebluebookcase@gmail.com)
Must all literary writing be difficult? Can you think of examples of literary writing that were not difficult?
Our answer comes from Lucia:
I think the response to this question really depends on how the word 'difficult' is interpreted. Assuming it refers to the language itself which is difficult, then I think its degree of difficulty is to be determined by the individual reader. In this respect, the first time I read anything by Jane Austen, it took me 3 months because I was so unused to the style of writing. Although now (6 years on) I find Austen's language fairly easy to read, I still struggle with some classics. A Christmas Carol was gruelling, as was Mrs Dalloway. However, I find the writing styles of authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle very straight forward to read, as well as many contemporary authors of literary fiction. The pace of a novel, for me, also affects the how difficult it is to read.
On the other hand, if the word 'difficult' refers to the subject matter or content of the novel which is challenging or confronting, I think the answer to the question is a little more objective. I think an author who deals with an issue skillfully and thoughtfully so as to engage the reader and put forth their point of view, may be easier to read as opposed to an author whose handling of a subject is tacky and superficial. That being said I don't mean to suggest that Dickens or Woolf are either of these things, as the difficulty of their writing for me lies solely in the language. Examples of works I believe are not difficult to read for these reasons include Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
3. Add your link to the Linky List below.Happy Hopping!
*PLEASE NOTE: if you do not answer the question and link back to The Blue Bookcase in a post on your blog, you will be removed from the Linky list.
This monthly blog hop is open to blogs that primarily feature book reviews of literary fiction, classic literature, and general literary discussion.
How do I know if my blog qualifies as "literary"? Literature has many definitions, but for our purposes your blog qualifies as "literary" if it focuses primarily on texts with aesthetic merit. In other words, texts that show quality not only in narrative but also in the effect of their language and structure. YA literature may fit into this category, but if your blog focuses primarily on non-literary YA, fantasy, romance, paranormal romance, or chick lit, you may prefer to join the blog hop at Crazy-for-books that is open to book blogs of all kinds.
Instructions for entering the Literary Blog Hop:
1. Grab the code for the Button.
2. Answer the following prompt on your blog.
(Suggestions for future prompts? Email to them us at thebluebookcase@gmail.com)
Must all literary writing be difficult? Can you think of examples of literary writing that were not difficult?
Our answer comes from Lucia:
I think the response to this question really depends on how the word 'difficult' is interpreted. Assuming it refers to the language itself which is difficult, then I think its degree of difficulty is to be determined by the individual reader. In this respect, the first time I read anything by Jane Austen, it took me 3 months because I was so unused to the style of writing. Although now (6 years on) I find Austen's language fairly easy to read, I still struggle with some classics. A Christmas Carol was gruelling, as was Mrs Dalloway. However, I find the writing styles of authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle very straight forward to read, as well as many contemporary authors of literary fiction. The pace of a novel, for me, also affects the how difficult it is to read.
On the other hand, if the word 'difficult' refers to the subject matter or content of the novel which is challenging or confronting, I think the answer to the question is a little more objective. I think an author who deals with an issue skillfully and thoughtfully so as to engage the reader and put forth their point of view, may be easier to read as opposed to an author whose handling of a subject is tacky and superficial. That being said I don't mean to suggest that Dickens or Woolf are either of these things, as the difficulty of their writing for me lies solely in the language. Examples of works I believe are not difficult to read for these reasons include Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver.
3. Add your link to the Linky List below.Happy Hopping!
*PLEASE NOTE: if you do not answer the question and link back to The Blue Bookcase in a post on your blog, you will be removed from the Linky list.
