DESCRIBE OR NOT DESCRIBE
I recently read a book
that provided an interesting experience. I consider every book an experience,
some more memorable than others and for different reasons. The reason this
particular book stood out is that it left me with almost no sense of “travel.”
Let me explain. The single biggest reason I was captivated by reading the
better part of sixty years ago, was that by reading I could escape my ordinary
life and travel to amazing places. I could be in Antarctica with Shackleton or
on Venus with Ray Bradbury. I could join the gold rush with Jack London or
suffer the long days in a dark dungeon with Dumas. My point?
In the present culture, we have invested ourselves lock, stock, and barrel in instant gratification. If a movie doesn’t have a chase scene or some type of special effects catastrophe within the first three minutes and every five minutes to follow, the film doesn’t achieve “blockbuster” status.
Our publishers and
editors tell us the same thing about books: “If it doesn’t advance the story,
leave it out.” Or, “We need a murder or sex scene the first few pages.” I admit with some quick read beach books this
might be advisable, but what I worry about is; are we losing our ability to
describe in some detail the awe-inspiring beauty of the Himalayans, or the
manic pressure of a major drama taking place on a crowded downtown street? More
important are we losing the “travel” in modern literature? I admit there is a fine line between enough
and too much detail. I further admit it is a good thing authors are no longer
paid by the word. That alone spares readers from tons of useless padding. Few
authors possess the talent to walk the fine line between too much and too
little, while still being able to transport us to another dimension.
What I miss is becoming
so engaged , so captured by a writer’s ability to describe, that I am in his world, in that point in time. I am
there with the characters: suffering, enjoying, and feeling cold, or wet, or
tired or afraid. I miss that in many of the books I read today. Granted there
are some, but it seems as if we are moving farther and farther away from juicy
descriptions that make your mouth salivate for more. What is the answer? I
don’t know. Perhaps it is more my perception brought on by the staggering
amount of books now being published. Perhaps a significant number of new books
with this characteristic are lost among the massive flow of books
published. In the even more rushed world of e publishing,
I doubt we will find an answer. My hope is that collectively we will grow tired
of books without “travel” and maybe someday enough enlightened souls will
demand more literature and fewer beach reads.
I would love to hear your
opinion, please write.
CC Kaufman - Author -
Reconcilable Differences 'R' @ http://www.carnalpassions.com
Night of The Machetes @ http:// www.champagnebooks.com
The Invitation (R ) @ http://www.carnalpassions.com
My web- http://www.cckaufman.com
Reconcilable Differences 'R' @ http://www.carnalpassions.com
Night of The Machetes @ http:// www.champagnebooks.com
The Invitation (R ) @ http://www.carnalpassions.com
My web- http://www.cckaufman.com
2 comments:
Good point, Chuck. When I lay down a fiction book I'm always glad to know a bit more about Kokomo, Paducah, London or Santiago other than who shot or screwed who.
I love traveling through books. What's the sense of setting if not to allow the reader a chance to "go there" through description of sight, smell, and sound?
~Jude
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