"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." G. K. Chestgerton, Heretics (1905)
This is SO TRUE. I choked my way through several of Mark Twain's works- including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court- just because they were classics. I emerged with a deep dislike of a man whom I later discovered was utterly worthy of it. (Twain's hatred of non-Europeans was only eclipsed by his similar sentiment towards God.) He's even more annoying than the (superficially similar) H. G. Wells. Of the "classic" writers, these two alone I cannot stand- and both of them were rather odious people. It comes through in their writing.
Chesterton, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind inviting to tea- or *most* of the other classic writers, for that matter. Some of the others weren't particularly "nice" people (Mary Shelley springs to mind, as does Victor Hugo in his later years), but they were still decent writers who covered their moral failings with literary skill.
Chesterton must have practically lived in books- he has so many good quotes on comments on them. :) (Wasn't he once a member of a Sherlock Holmes fan-writing community? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere.)
I haven't read through any of Mark Twain's books, and as for H.G. Well, the only book of his I have read was back when I was in fifth grade, so I can't comment too much on those authors. (Chesterton was friends with Wells, but they also disagreed on everything, so...Indeed, in that very book the quote above comes from, Heretics, Chesterton has a chapter on H.G. Wells, one of the "heretics" whose ideas he criticized.
As for Chesterton, I'm not aware of being a member of a Sherlock Holmes fan-writing community (though I do know he greatly enjoyed Sherlock Holmes). GKC was a member of (and in fact the first president) of the Detection Club http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detection_Club. Was that perhaps what you might have been thinking of?
GKC's friend, Ronald Knox, also wrote in 1911 a very successful satire concerning the Sherlock Holmes stories (satirizing the methods of the "higher criticism" used in critiquing the Bible by applying such methods to the Sherlock Holmes stories). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself seemed to have enjoyed it.
Very true.
ReplyDeleteYep. :-)
ReplyDelete"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author." G. K. Chestgerton, Heretics (1905)
ReplyDeleteThis is SO TRUE. I choked my way through several of Mark Twain's works- including A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court- just because they were classics. I emerged with a deep dislike of a man whom I later discovered was utterly worthy of it. (Twain's hatred of non-Europeans was only eclipsed by his similar sentiment towards God.) He's even more annoying than the (superficially similar) H. G. Wells. Of the "classic" writers, these two alone I cannot stand- and both of them were rather odious people. It comes through in their writing.
Chesterton, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind inviting to tea- or *most* of the other classic writers, for that matter. Some of the others weren't particularly "nice" people (Mary Shelley springs to mind, as does Victor Hugo in his later years), but they were still decent writers who covered their moral failings with literary skill.
Chesterton must have practically lived in books- he has so many good quotes on comments on them. :) (Wasn't he once a member of a Sherlock Holmes fan-writing community? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere.)
I haven't read through any of Mark Twain's books, and as for H.G. Well, the only book of his I have read was back when I was in fifth grade, so I can't comment too much on those authors. (Chesterton was friends with Wells, but they also disagreed on everything, so...Indeed, in that very book the quote above comes from, Heretics, Chesterton has a chapter on H.G. Wells, one of the "heretics" whose ideas he criticized.
ReplyDeleteAs for Chesterton, I'm not aware of being a member of a Sherlock Holmes fan-writing community (though I do know he greatly enjoyed Sherlock Holmes). GKC was a member of (and in fact the first president) of the Detection Club
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detection_Club. Was that perhaps what you might have been thinking of?
GKC's friend, Ronald Knox, also wrote in 1911 a very successful satire concerning the Sherlock Holmes stories (satirizing the methods of the "higher criticism" used in critiquing the Bible by applying such methods to the Sherlock Holmes stories). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself seemed to have enjoyed it.
"Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes"
http://www.diogenes-club.com/studies.htm
BTW, haven't seen you around anywhere lately. Where have you been? lol.
ReplyDelete