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I mean, "as they actually evidenced themselves as I read them", rather than "by way of conventional view". Obviously I'm talking about my own opinion. I suspe

I mean, "as they actually evidenced themselves as I read them", rather than "by way of conventional view". Obviously I'm talking about my own opinion. I suspect a book like catcher in the rye would have a hard time getting published and selling today. Without being preceded by its acclaim, most readers would think it ho-hum. This is true of a lot of things, though. Take Shakespeare's comedies. They aren't funny. A modern Shakespeare audience laughs at the jokes even though they already see them coming (having read the play multiple times already). This is the opposite of normal experience. I won't laugh much at a genuinely funny comedy if I've already seen it 10 times, so why would I laugh at 500-year-old puns that I've heard before...when even the best puns rarely cause laughter the first time?

ojbyrne 17y ago
I don't think that's really an apt comparison. Shakespeare's comedies haven't really aged well (it's a bit like watching comedy from the 1970s - you miss all the context). The tragedies age much better. And concerning "getting published and selling today" - Sarah Palin gets published. That doesn't mean that what she writes is anything other than trash.
jamesbritt 17y ago
"I won't laugh much at a genuinely funny comedy if I've already seen it 10 times, so why would I laugh at 500-year-old puns that I've heard before...when even the best puns rarely cause laughter the first time?" I've seen the film Animal House[0] about 20 times and still think it's funny. Part of the humor is the set-up and delivery. Yes, I know John Belushi is going to force potatoes out of his mouth, but when it happens it's still funny because of all the little details. Same for A Night at the Opera. Dated in some ways, but hysterical in others. Grouch Marx is just funny, even when you know the jokes. Now, my wife wonders how I can watch the same movie twice, since I what happens and how it ends. My brother, though, compares this to listening to music; you know the words and how the melody goes, but you still like listening to a familiar song. Some people are that way with books and plays and movies, too. [0] Yes, I am that old.

ojbyrne 17y ago

I don't think that's really an apt comparison. Shakespeare's comedies haven't really aged well (it's a bit like watching comedy from the 1970s - you miss all the context). The tragedies age much better. And concerning "getting published and selling today" - Sarah Palin gets published. That doesn't mean that what she writes is anything other than trash.

jamesbritt 17y ago

"I won't laugh much at a genuinely funny comedy if I've already seen it 10 times, so why would I laugh at 500-year-old puns that I've heard before...when even the best puns rarely cause laughter the first time?" I've seen the film Animal House[0] about 20 times and still think it's funny. Part of the humor is the set-up and delivery. Yes, I know John Belushi is going to force potatoes out of his mouth, but when it happens it's still funny because of all the little details. Same for A Night at the Opera. Dated in some ways, but hysterical in others. Grouch Marx is just funny, even when you know the jokes. Now, my wife wonders how I can watch the same movie twice, since I what happens and how it ends. My brother, though, compares this to listening to music; you know the words and how the melody goes, but you still like listening to a familiar song. Some people are that way with books and plays and movies, too. [0] Yes, I am that old.