5-6 October 2013 | 92 comments (92 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Living on the Planet (4.00 / 9)

The back of cover blurb says:

With THE SHELL SEEKERS, the great family novel is reborn. Refreshing in its traditional values and people with characters that you will recognize, warm to and remember for the rest of your life, it is a magical reading experience.

Having completely forgotten all the characters and indeed everything but the pretty title, I open the book at random.

'How shall we get there?'
'We shall have to work it out. A train to Truro, perhaps. A taxi.'
'But wouldn't it be more fun to drive?' She was struck by a brilliant idea. 'We'll take the Bentley. Papa will lend us the Bentley.'

So refreshing, the traditional values.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sat Oct 5th, 2013 at 09:09:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 1)

Gorgeous landscapes or not, it was never more than 30 seconds before I channel-surfed away from ZDF whenever one of these films were on...

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sat Oct 5th, 2013 at 10:16:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (4.00 / 3)

Ahhhhh, yummy, yummy snark; better than dessert.

'tis strange I should be old and neither wise nor valiant. From "The Maid's Tragedy" by Beaumont & Fletcher

by Wife of Bath (kareninaustin at g mail dot com) on Sat Oct 5th, 2013 at 03:18:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (4.00 / 6)

It's remarkable how many supposedly literary novels are stories about dull people living in large country houses and/or North London.

Between that and guilt fic - the shocking story by that famous ethnic author whose country we invaded a few years ago - the lit fic market pretty much has the imperial thing nailed.

(And don't get me started on Game of Thrones.)

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 04:19:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 0)

See the Aga Saga.

The colonial guilt things come with added spices, which distinguishes them from the kind of tasteless soup cooked on the Agas.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 11:48:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 1)

The traditional values of which you speak make up a huge, gigantic part of literature. Agatha Christie, as one very small example. Popular literature is all about escaping reality, and what better way to do it than to read "Murder on the Orient Express" or "The Inimitable Jeeves" or "Farthest North"?

There's nothing like sitting on the train home after a day of wage slavery in your cubicle, studying the antics of rich people.

by asdf on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 12:12:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 0)

Most of the people I see on trains returning from the day's cubicle are either fiddling with their smartphones or listening to music. And, as far as escaping reality by reading Agatha Christie goes, chacun son goût.

But at least Agatha Christie stories are honest whodunnits. The "country life" genre, aka Aga Saga, doesn't even offer that kind of basic amusement. Someone must like it, though, or it wouldn't get published... er, would it?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 04:46:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 1)

At least going by the TV versions, the main attraction seems to be that it's possible to follow the plot while doing household chores, routine paperwork or by just passing by the running TV on the way to the fridge.

by generic on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 05:39:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 0)

My impression was always that the target audience is older housewives in rural towns. More broadly, the rural demographic is one leftists always had a difficulty with.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Sun Oct 6th, 2013 at 06:41:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Living on the Planet (none / 0)

Yeah, that is interesting. The people who gain the most by non-proportional representation, or support from centralized government, or subsidies from the state, are the ones who most loudly claim that they are independent.

It would be pretty easy to cut them off, though, I suppose.

"Ok, we aren't going to pave the roads any more."
"Ok, you can come into town to get your mail."
"Sorry, you will have to pay for your own cell towers and power lines."
"No more agriculture subsidies."
"Incidentally, we want to turn your farm into a subdivision."
"Ambulances will stop at city limits, you can hitch-hike to the hospital."

by asdf on Mon Oct 7th, 2013 at 07:16:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

5-6 October 2013 | 92 comments (92 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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