The Naive Narrator
Two novels, a hundred years apart26 total reviews
Comment from Dawn Munro
I don't think I have read a lot of your prose, Steve, but I'm sure glad I came across this piece - what a wonderful way you have with words, and your description of these classics makes me want to read them again.
By now I'm sure you are accustomed to hearing this from me (since it happens too often), but I don't have a six left to rate this as it deserves.
********************MARVELOUS!********************six stars (if I had any)
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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I don't think I have read a lot of your prose, Steve, but I'm sure glad I came across this piece - what a wonderful way you have with words, and your description of these classics makes me want to read them again.
By now I'm sure you are accustomed to hearing this from me (since it happens too often), but I don't have a six left to rate this as it deserves.
********************MARVELOUS!********************six stars (if I had any)
Comment Written 13-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Dawn thanks for the great review and the virtual six. I seem to have a habit of posting near the end of the week when the sixes are all expiring...
Steve
You are most welcome.
Comment from giraffmang
Hi there,
I found this a well written piece and very engaging. Although I was quite shocked to read that you had read David Copperfield only as a comic-book before! I take it you had read some of Dickens' other work in proper form?
I recently re-read CS Lewis 'Out of the Silent Planet' which has a great narration and tone to it.
One of the issues today I find quite simply is that writing has become perfunctory. JK Rowling can't hold a candle to Roald Dahl for example. The writing has become secondary. The poetry has been stripped away from prose in the need for plot.
An enjoyable and thoughtful piece.
GMG
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Hi there,
I found this a well written piece and very engaging. Although I was quite shocked to read that you had read David Copperfield only as a comic-book before! I take it you had read some of Dickens' other work in proper form?
I recently re-read CS Lewis 'Out of the Silent Planet' which has a great narration and tone to it.
One of the issues today I find quite simply is that writing has become perfunctory. JK Rowling can't hold a candle to Roald Dahl for example. The writing has become secondary. The poetry has been stripped away from prose in the need for plot.
An enjoyable and thoughtful piece.
GMG
Comment Written 13-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Thank you! Yes, I have read plenty of Dickens, but there were (and still are) a few gaps - so many books, so little time!
Not sure if I agree that the poetry has been stripped away - of course there is a demand for plot-driven books, but there are still plenty of the more literary ones around - you're just unlikely to find them on the best-seller shelves.
Steve
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Yeah. You are correct. You really have to hunt for more literary work. I tend to read older works for it - easy to find. I do enjoy plot driven but so much of it is drivel.
All the best
G
Comment from Brett Matthew West
Very interesting detailing of a Classic novel from the 19th Century, when some of the very best ones were written, and 20th Century works. True, different writing styles have evolved and a further comparison of those of the 21st Century could have been thrown into the mix as well. Makes you wonder if another Charles Dickens will once again appear on the literary horizon at some point? Well done.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Very interesting detailing of a Classic novel from the 19th Century, when some of the very best ones were written, and 20th Century works. True, different writing styles have evolved and a further comparison of those of the 21st Century could have been thrown into the mix as well. Makes you wonder if another Charles Dickens will once again appear on the literary horizon at some point? Well done.
Comment Written 13-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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And if a new Dickens did arrive, would anybody have the time to read him?!
Thanks for the review.
Steve
Comment from tfawcus
It is a while since I have read any Dickens, and you tempt me to return to him. My abiding memory of David Copperfield is the film, which I remember seeing as a schoolboy. Similarly, I have only seen the film of To Kill a Mockingbird. We miss much of the art of the storyteller in these celluloid classics. Your description of the naive narrator as a technique is clear and interesting. Your choice of these two books, which most people have never read, but know by reputation or through other media, makes a tempting hook to reel your readers in.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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It is a while since I have read any Dickens, and you tempt me to return to him. My abiding memory of David Copperfield is the film, which I remember seeing as a schoolboy. Similarly, I have only seen the film of To Kill a Mockingbird. We miss much of the art of the storyteller in these celluloid classics. Your description of the naive narrator as a technique is clear and interesting. Your choice of these two books, which most people have never read, but know by reputation or through other media, makes a tempting hook to reel your readers in.
Comment Written 13-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Nice performance by Gregory Peck in Mockingbird, but the film itself is way inferior to the book and I would venture to say that no Dickens novel could ever be satisfactorily transferred to celluloid (or whatever they use these days!) although I do have some striking images from an old black and white 'Great Expectations' implanted in my memory banks. Half the fun is in the language of his descriptions and comical asides.
Thanks for stopping by for one of my rare forays into prose.
Steve
Comment from Janet7053
I will tell you this. I wish I had written it. The naive narrator. It held my attention fully. I am always looking for strategies in writing that enable intrigue or depth; layers of meaning, I call them.
Since I didn't write it then I congratulate you.
I teach character, plot, conflict, and resolution. Never heard of this element - naive narrator
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reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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I will tell you this. I wish I had written it. The naive narrator. It held my attention fully. I am always looking for strategies in writing that enable intrigue or depth; layers of meaning, I call them.
Since I didn't write it then I congratulate you.
I teach character, plot, conflict, and resolution. Never heard of this element - naive narrator
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 12-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Can't ask for much more of a compliment than 'I wish I had written it'!
I don't know where the 'naive narrator' idea came from - just a random thought I felt was worth developing - glad it caught your interest.
Steve
Comment from Sis Cat
Yes. Yes. Yes. I just started reading "David Copperfield" for the first time yesterday in my fifty-one years. I am so thrilled to read your story because now I will know what you are talking about.
I totally agree with this quote, "I was swept away by the power of Dickens' words, the unforgettable characters, the vivid description of people, places and events and the interweaving story lines as well as the remarkable humour that pervades the book."
I read "To Kill A Mocking Bird" last year and "David Copperfield" now to learn from the great "classic novels in terms of character creation, plot management and style." Your essay on the naïve narrator is exceptional. I hope reviewers read these classic and more. Thank you for sharing.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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Yes. Yes. Yes. I just started reading "David Copperfield" for the first time yesterday in my fifty-one years. I am so thrilled to read your story because now I will know what you are talking about.
I totally agree with this quote, "I was swept away by the power of Dickens' words, the unforgettable characters, the vivid description of people, places and events and the interweaving story lines as well as the remarkable humour that pervades the book."
I read "To Kill A Mocking Bird" last year and "David Copperfield" now to learn from the great "classic novels in terms of character creation, plot management and style." Your essay on the naïve narrator is exceptional. I hope reviewers read these classic and more. Thank you for sharing.
This rating does not count towards story rating or author rank.
The highest and the lowest rating are not included in calculations.
Comment Written 12-Jun-2015
reply by the author on 14-Jun-2015
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What a coincidence that you had just started on the novel. When I get truly caught up in a book like that, I tend to forego sleep and usual responsibilities and just read!
I think less perceptive readers miss much of the humour in Dickens - he had me in stitches quite frequently.
Steve