@Suzanne: What is your favourite book by Ha Jin? I've been thinking of reading something by him but I've never been able to decide which. Honestly I'm not that compelled by any of the descriptions of his books, but I'd still like to give it a go. I get the impression his style is something I would enjoy.GaryG48 wrote:Sorry to be unclear, I cited Virginia Wolfe as a counter-example, a writer who is NOT post modern but is complex and "difficult." Wolfe is often used as an example of "high modernist" along with T.S. Eliot and James Joyce. If I ever have to pick a favorite novelist, it would be Wolfe. Just to continue my contrariness, I prefer Mrs. Dalloway to To the Lighthouse (but I really like them both).Suzanne wrote: Wow, I must really like PoMo fiction because Proulx, Delillo, McCarthy, Jin, and of course, Virginia are some of my favorite authors. Virginia Woolf is considered PoMo?
I have never really delved into the different types of writing styles that I enjoy reading, I just know what I like. Thanks to both of you, you have given me something to look into in more depth. And it is a joy to discuss books with those who are so well read.
The labels: realist, naturalist, modernist, post modernist, and so forth aren't important. They are just handles that help us talk about kinds of styles. For people like us, people who love to read, each novel or short story stands or falls on its own merit. So I should not be so surprised that I liked Wind-up so much--but I am.
It is off-topic but let me recommend Blood Meridian to anyone who likes McCarthy. It isn't as macho as some of his other novels but it is still a good story.
As to Grass, I have the Tin Drum on my shelf as well. I was put off because a friend of mine recently read it but said it was terribly dull. You would argue his stance, I assume?
@Gary: I'd not heard of "Blood Meridian" though a quick wiki read assures me that I'm an ignoramus. It certainly doesn't SOUND less "macho". I don't avoid much in the way of fiction - mainly just books about war or westerns. Do you think someone who really dislikes that sort of thing would be able to enjoy this book? I even hated Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven", which I'm told is a crime because it's the most amazing movie, blah blah. I find westerns all about testosterone and boring standoffs where I just hope everyone will die.