Thoughts On: "Liking" Characters

I like talking about books; I think it’s great that people can have different opinions on the same book.  However, there is one particular opinion that people seem to be very fond of expressing, and I really wish they wouldn’t.  It’s “I don’t like this book because I don’t like the main character.”

Now, characters have always been a huge part in my enjoyment of books; I find that I can forgive a lot in a book if the characters are interesting, realistic, and well written. However, sometimes when people say that they don’t like a character, they don’t mean that they don’t like how poorly written they are, but rather that they don’t like that character’s personality or agree with their choices.  In other words, if they met this character in real life, they wouldn’t be their friend.

The first issue I take with people who don’t like books because they don’t like the characters is that just because you don’t like a character’s personality doesn’t mean that the character can’t be realistic or interesting, or that their stories are not worth telling.  Take Sherlock Holmes, for example.  If you think about it, you probably wouldn’t want him as your friend, even if you disregard the cocaine; he’s obnoxious, a bit self-centred, and has no problem pointing out that he’s smarter than everyone else.  A lot of adaptations tend to avoid presenting these characteristics to make him more likable, but that’s a rant for another day. However, the fact that Sherlock isn’t particularly nice doesn’t mean that he’s not an interesting, well-rounded character, or that it’s not exciting to read about his detective-work.

A common complaint about characters is that they annoying whiners. Holden Caulfield, Sylvia Plath; they’re all just whingers who should stop being so miserable and self-absorbed. Because of this, their stories somehow become worse, or less valuable. However, it’s important to bear in mind that sometimes they are underlying issues that justify their complaints (abuse, clinical depression, etc.).  Even if a character is just being an angst-y teenager, I think if we’re all honest with ourselves we’ll admit that some people are like that in real life.  So, if it’s handled correctly, there’s no reason why there can’t be a place for moaning, and it doesn’t automatically make a book bad.

What if it’s not just a personality issue? What if the characters are morally despicable?  Well, I think then it largely comes down to an issue of framing; if the author seems to be presenting whatever horrible things the main characters are doing in a positive light, then yes, that can ruin a book.  However, a lot of books with immoral characters tend to make it clear that we’re not supposed to like those characters, or at the very least that we’re not supposed to agree with their choices.  Wuthering Heights springs to mind.

So please, dislike books because the characters are badly written, or unrealistic, or justify horrible ideas, but not because you wouldn’t be best friends.

Women in Horror Month and The Lottery

February is Women In Horror Month, an annual event that celebrates the achievements of female writers, artists and film-makers in the horror genre, and promoting the consumption of work within the horror genre created by women.

When I heard about this, I planned on reading Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and maybe writing about it.  However, I then realized that February is both the shortest and one of the busiest months of the year.  So, I decided to read 'The Lottery' instead.

It seems a bit pointless to write a traditional review of this classic short story, suffice to say that my heart began to race from the first page. It was absolutely incredible, and demonstrates the capacity for social commentary that the horror genre has.

In the absence of a full review, allow me to get up on my soapbox for a second and encourage everyone to give horror a chance.  The horror genre has the ability to do so much more than just make the squeamish amongst us sick; it can advocate for social causes, it can be art.  The important thing is that we start expecting more of horror, and reject the idea that it's just a weird niche genre for sadists.

Have you read/seen something for Women in Horror Month?  If so, what was it?

Book review: Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science by Michael Brooks

Free Radicals by Michael Brooks
(my own photo)

If I was to pick one word to describe this book, it would probably be disappointing.  It wasn't great, and I've had so little time to do extra reading over the past month or two that I felt quite annoyed that I wasted my time on a sub-standard book.

Most people have a particularly understanding of how science and the scientific world works. Science it typically presented as completely objective, as a discipline where everyone is motivated purely by the desire to advance our understanding of the universe.  Now, this is probably true of certain individuals working in science, but it's not the whole truth.  

As someone who's interested in science and ethics I've been thinking a lot about the ideas brought up in this book, and I've done a lot of reading in this area.  As a result, it did cover a lot of territory that I have some familiarity with.  Unfortunately, it was covered quite poorly.  The book is clearly designed to reach a certain conclusion; if something it doesn't fit, it's either not mentioned or brushed over. Even with all of the cherry-picking, the conclusion still seems forced. 

Even if you discount the issues with the content, it just isn't a well-written book.  It jumps really suddenly from one topic to another.  I also take issue with his use of the word 'anarchy'.  I understand that it's supposed to be a keyword that ties the whole book together, but he uses the word in so many different ways, very few of which have anything to do with the generally acknowledged definition of anarchy.  In one chapter, he uses the word anarchy to describe both a scientist sending another scientist a bottle of champagne, and a scientist destroying another scientist's career.

It's not a terrible book, but it is one that I could have happily lived my life without reading.

Chances of finding it in my imaginary bookstore? 45%

Poetry Project: Sestinas!

Sorry this edition is late, I was spectacularly busy.

I've found that my method of selecting poems was a bit too random.  So, I've decided to do a different theme each week.  This week, it's sestinas.

A sestina is a poetic form in which the last word in each line is rotated in a set pattern.  There are six stanzas, each containing six lines, and there is an envoi at the end consisting of three lines.  It creates some interesting effects, but is difficult to write, particularly because the line endings can sound repetitive.

I read a few sestinas this week, and the best one was probably A.E. Stallings' "Sestina: Like".  However, Algernon Swinburne gets an honorable mention for being amazing/crazy enough to write a double sestina, 'The Complaint of Lisa'

I have tried writing sestinas myself and, if you are brave enough to attempt one,  I've found that the sestin-a-matic is a really useful tool.  It will keep track of how the line endings change.

Poetry Project: Week 2

I know this is late, but please enjoy If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda.

Poetry Project: Week 1

I've recently decided that I'm going to commit to reading one poem everyday.  I want to read more poetry, particularly from writers or movements that I haven't explored before.

I thought I might share my favourite poem that I read each week, because life is better with more poetry.

So, without further ado, this week's favourite is "The Café Filtre" by Paul Blackburn.

Just in case you missed me...

Hello there,

It's come to my attention that I haven't posted in ages, and I have been flattering myself, thinking that some of you are actually kind of sad about that.

In my defense, I have been incredibly busy, as I am writing and editing a magazine and we just launched our first issue.

If you want to check out our blog, where you can find the articles in our latest edition, some bonus reviews, and a print archive of all the previous issues, you can find it below