On Wed, 18 Nov 1998, Matthew Lewis wrote:
Hehehehehe. I'm tellin' ya, blame Lawrence Sterne (that dead
for a couple of centuries bastard). On one level we have chapter VII
[clip]
and cold and empty(?) Ranma is. This is the kind of thing that makes
us English majors say, "very symbolic" and get really, really excited.
^_^
Nah. That's the kinda thing that makes me go 'bleah'. With
Sterne, I could tolerate it -- after all, he _was_ one of the first to try
funky stuff like that. Besides, Tristram Shandy was just a big joke,
anyway. But there's too much such silliness in post-modern crap that
tries to sell itself off as literature: poems written in circles and
fragmented lines to reflect the 'inherent confusion of the human mind', or
some such tired crap. Like stream-of-consciousness, used too often by
shity writers as an excuse to look cool, without realizing that _real_ SOC
stuff isn't just a random dumping of words on the page -- it's the
illusion of random thought process, but _writing_ it is the meticulous
choosing of the proper words and following of specific ideas. Joyce,
Woolf, they didn't just puke up on a page... Again, bleah, I say.
Ummm, sorry.
Actually, it's not even a comment on your story. Heck, I liked
the little chapter with the snowflakes.
(Gee, can you tell that I've got an essay due? Ah,
procrastination, everyone's favorite friend...)
Of course the real reason for them is two-fold: a) to make me feel
clever because no one else would hopefully get them ;-) and b) because I
wanted to share my frustration in reading Tristam Shandy with all of you.
^_^
Heh. All too well understood. ALthough I avoided some of that
frustration by simply not reading the whole damn thing. Maybe I should
get back to it some day... nah, maybe not.
Hmmm. While I'm here I guess I oughat drop a few quick comments
about the story itself. My brain's a bit scrambled right now (essay on
the go, lotsa caffeine buzzin'), but I'll try to be coherent.
Loved the idea -- loved where the first two chapters were bringing
us -- was disappointed with the conclusion. Opposing theories of martial
arts, neat. Ranma submitting himself to one and 'falling prey' to its
doctrine -- didn't like as much. The way you redefined the character, I
supposed it made since, especially with the emphasis on 'weakness'.
However, I would've prefered -- and actually expected -- a true 'thesis',
as the title led me to suggest: Ranma forging his own way, by unifying the
two opposing schools of thought.
(Well, that's the whole thesis thing, as I understand it. Thesis
- antithesis - synthesis, which is what I assumed you were alluding to in
the titles -- the Hegelian theory of opposing and joined energies. (or
whatever. It was never fully explained to me, not that anyone really
understands Hegel anyway.)
Instead, we got a Ranma 'as cold as ice' (suddenly I've got a
craving for a beer, for some reason...). Which is interesting in itself,
but the presentation was very... unsubtle, it felt to me. I mean, sheesh,
he was just so _extreme_ -- and utter extremes, independant of
qualification, are rather dull.
(Which is why Utopian literature is so tediously dull to read.
You're an English major, you've probably had to read some Utopia or
News From Nowhere. Major Zzzzzz stuff. Dystopian is much better, but
that's because the authors can never go the full way, they always keep a
little hope alive, a little struggle -- even 1984 doesn't crush hope until
the very end, otherwise, why read it?)
But in your story, it's quite clear that Ranma is all the way gone
from the start, and with that certainty, the story loses (for me) a lot of
its attraction. Like those really, really evil and powerful guys in
movies (or shows or anime or whatever) -- I mean, do you _really_ care
what happens to them? They're usually more laughable than anything.
Wow. Am I _ever_ procrastinating. Major digression here. So.
Liked the first two chapters a lot. Great premise, and the uber-Ranma
character is neat. No comments on the writing or grammar or any of that
stuff -- didn't notice anything wrong! Good stuff, I guess you just lost
me on the third chapter (sorry!).
Gah. Well, back to the Maritime Rights Movement of the 1920s.
What, never heard of it? THAT'S 'CUS NOTHING HAPPENED! ARGH! 16 PAGES
ON A DULL SPOT OF CANADIAN HISTORY (which is often frightningly dull as
is.)
-Mike Noakes
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