LITERATURE: The Study of It

"It usually happens with poetry, but sometimes with certain short stories or novels, too: a student says, "Why can’t they just write it so people can understand?" And everyone in the class nods in agreement. Because what we read should be written so that we can understand it. It should not be unduly difficult, it should not make us feel stupid, it should not be what we don’t like. It should be accessible, transparent—a clear window on a bright day; not a mirror, not a wall."

Excellent post by Matt Cheney at Strange Horizons regarding the accessibility of written language in story form.  Thanks to Jeff at Vanderworld for the point.

This entry was posted in LITERATURE. Bookmark the permalink.