This is not a book specific question, but I'm curious about your interaction with prose itself as you read.
For context, I'm rereading the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, and stumbled on a couple of pages of pure genius at the end of book 4, and had to take a moment to gush to my 2 closest friends. One reads but not as much as she'd like, the other barely at all and is working on it. Neither have any experience with writing and generally dislike doing it, while I'm a pretty prolific writer myself.
As a result I had to explain the difference in POV to them (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Omniscient vs. limited, etc). They were tolerably entertained by my endless 5am yapping, and agreed the passage was fun and could not have been replicated so easily with something other than the (masterful!!!) 3rd omniscient.
We discussed prose a little and it became apparent those are not things they take note of at all. They enjoy the stories, and to them good writing is satisfying when the story itself is engaging/stimulating, but they don't notice prose much. One of my friend brushed it off as "a writer thing".
So here I am, curious!
Are you a writer? Hobbyist or not. And does prose matter to you? Or at least, do you really notice it as you read? Is it a deciding factor on your rating of a book or author? Or does the story matter more? Could you, having just finished an engrossing book, talk at length about the prose, the pov, the author's quirks? Or were you lost in plot and character?
How would you describe your ideal prose?
I personally picked up writing quite late, considering… (at 24, when I don't have memories of a time when I wasn't reading) But I feel like I've always been quite conscious of prose, of pretty turn of phrases, or the technical way an author made a thing happen. I often lacked the term for them. I remember being in school and thinking Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau (read in french) was SO cool. I have a vivid memory of my kiddy eyes being opened to the countless ways one can tell the same story and how language affects it.
Then practicing the craft definitely changed the way I interact with my books. I am far more critical (can't always turn off editor brain) and also more aware of the skill required to pull certain moves in a story. Some prose styles still completely mystify me. Authors like Sheri S. Tepper or Mariana Enriquez have a way of lulling my ever attentive brain into a sort of trance. Hundreds of pages will pass by and the story will have warped in ways so subtle, I have to look back and wonder if I missed something or if it was a thousand light touches.
I also do have a favourite book whose prose is, I think, rather non-descript. The Library At Mount Char by Scott Hawkins is one of my all time favourites, but it's purely based on world, characters, plot, and not on prose. It feels agressively simple to me and takes a backdrop to everything else. Yet I've considered getting a tattoo from a line in this book for YEARS.
I don't think that's something common in my favourites. They tend to have very distinctive prose and voices, so to me that book stands out.
What about you?
by Recom_Quaritch
3 Comments
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I’m a hobbyist writer (fanfiction), I do make money off of it but not a lot
The prose does matter to me but it’s not a “deciding factor”, I just consider it as another factor that can influence my decision. So book with mediocre story but amazing prose (e.g the Song of Achilles, we all know the greek myth but the prose is downright beautiful) gets a high star rating from me, but so is mediocre prose with amazing story/ideas (e.g the Mistborn series). One can supplement the other
My ultimate 5 star books would be amazing on both fronts (to me it’s Good Omens, Canticle for Leibowitz, The Locked Tomb Trilogy). These are books that made me lose myself in the story but the prose is also gorgeous / unique
The very best writers by and large make the craft of writing invisible. This doesn’t take away my enjoyment of their skill, which, like you,, I will pause and admire.
Like masterworks of art, it’s fun to know about the use of color theory or brushstrokes or camera obscura, but not necessarily essential to connecting with the art.
With writing I find that some authors are too concerned with the craft or with their own mastery of it, and I call it navel-gazing and a book has to be very very good for me to overlook it.
Patrick O’Brian is one of my favorites. He’s a master of period dialogue, and devilish for often putting the long-awaited action off-screen. He has created many memorable characters across the series, and is a great storyteller. It’s cool that you find taking a deeper dive into his technique enjoyable, and cool that your friends indulge your passion.