/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.19742375]

william gaddis’s the recognitions was published in 1955 its a great novel,
as much the novel of our generation as ulysses was of its it only sold a few
thousand copies because the critics did a lousy job -

2 critics boasted they didnt finish the book
one critic made 7 boners others got wrong the number of pages, year,
price, publisher, author, & title
& other incredible boners like mistaking a diabetic for a narcotics addict
one critic stole part of his review from the blurb, part from another review
one critic called the book “disgusting” “evil” “foul-mouthed,” needs “to
have its mouth washed out with lye soap” others were contemptuous or
condescending
-2 of 55 reviews were adequate the others were amateurish &
incompetent
failing to recognize the greatness of the book
failing to convey to the reader what the book is like, what its essential
qualities are
counterfeiting this with stereotyped preconceptions-the standard cliches about a book that is
”ambitious,” “erudite,” “long,” “negative,” etc
-constructive suggestion: fire the bastards!

[Anonymous No.19742595]

“-I'm reviewing it, the stooped man said, and started to plod off.
-You read it?
-No, he said over his shoulder, -but I know the son of a bitch who wrote it.”
― William Gaddis, The Recognitions