/lit/ - Literature

Technical skill in doing what? Conveying complex philosophical ideas? Creating intricate universes with immense world building and character development? Making clever humor?

>>9347812
use of the language, prose and maybe poethry.

Writing encompasses a lot of genres, but for prose I'll go with this guy.

>>9347816
never heard about him.

care to elaborate your answer?

>>9347814
Youre gonna need to get more specific my guy. Pynchon's head-spinning satire and ridiculous referenced are great for comedy but would be atrocious for philosophy. Dostoevsky's dense prose is great for philosophically-charged fiction but would fall apart quickly if he were to write a biography.

>>9347829
I'm talking in pure use of language.

who is the more skilled?

>>9347834
i'd have to go with george rr martin my dude

>>9347834
Thats impossible to determine because the standards for "great use of language" varies based on genre. Unless you want to read every book in every genre and tell us who you think is the best.

>>9347844
that's like saying that every musical genre is completelly unique and therefore is impossible to tell who is the best composer on history.

>>9347834
John Green

Hegel.

At a certain level of genius everybody is kind of equivalent. Can you really say Homer is better than Shakespeare or Dante is better than Ovid?

>>9347822
He wrote this.

>In the second century of the Christian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the fairest part of the earth, and the most civilised portion of mankind. The frontiers of that extensive monarchy were guarded by ancient renown and disciplined valour. The gentle but powerful influence of laws and manners had gradually cemented the union of the provinces. Their peaceful inhabitants enjoyed and abused the advantages of wealth and luxury. The image of a free constitution was preserved with decent reverence: the Roman senate appeared to possess the sovereign authority, and devolved on the emperors all the executive powers of government. During a happy period (A.D. 98-180) of more than fourscore years, the public administration was conducted by the virtue and abilities of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and the two Antonines. It is the design of this, and of the two succeeding chapters, to describe the prosperous condition of their empire; and afterwards, from the death of Marcus Antoninus, to deduce the most important circumstances of its decline and fall; a revolution which will ever be remembered, and is still felt by the nations of the earth.

http://www.his.com/~z/gibbon.html

>>9347861
no but u can say shakespeare is better than homer because homer isnt even a person

>>9347870
But "Billy the Shakesman" was just the broker for a cabal of out-of-favor minor members of the nobility.

>>9347864
But all that fucking "not un"-ing. I would like Gibbon a lot more if he didn't abuse that formation.

>>9347885
what

>>9347805
Nabokov

>>9347805
probably homer

hurr homer never existed hurr hurr
kill yourself

unironically nabby

>>9347805
William H Gass

undisputed
saying much with minimum effort, no purple.

>>9347805
James Joyce

>>9347994
>implying you haven't only read translations

>>9348026

Thomas Pynchon

>>9347805
Thomas Browne
William Shakespeare
John Milton
James Joyce
Nabokov

Can only speak for english writers

You have to give it to the man, DFW was technical writing personified.

>>9347805