I'm participating in my first Literary Blog Hop which is hosted by The Blue Bookcase.
This week's question:
What is one of your literary pet peeves? Is there something that writers do that really sets your teeth on edge? Be specific, and give examples if you can.
I really resent when authors manipulate a reader just to elicit an emotional reaction. This is why I hate Jodi Picoult - she twists her plots in unnatural ways in order to create a major impact on the reader, no matter if it doesn't really jibe with the rest of the story. I feel this is dishonest and unfair. I know there are readers who love to be shocked and I am okay with it too, as long as it is legitimate. What about you? What is your literary pet peeve?
YES, seriously, YES. I'm so glad that you chose this as your pet peeve! I actually took a class last semester on literature and emotion, and I was shocked to realize how often and how easily people can be manipulated into thinking something is "good" just because it made them feel a certain way.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
GAH! I'm SO with you on this. Emotional manipulation is one of my pet peeves. Jodi Picoult is on my list too. And Nicholas Sparks. At my last book club meeting, the girl who was picking a book suggested either Dickens or Sparks (odd extremes, yeah?) and was shocked to hear that I refused to read any more Sparks. I'm usually pretty easy going, but I just can't do the emotional stuff. Yuck.
ReplyDeleteI haven't noticed this with Picoult, or if I did, it didn't bother me. I don't get emotional over books (or films) very often, though.
ReplyDeleteI was extremely annoyed by The Weight of Silence (Heather Gudenkauf) where the reader is led to believe something that turns out to be quite different (and heavily relates to the outcome of the story). I felt tricked!
Welcome to the blog hop! And I firmly agree with you. Very annoying. If you want to preach about an evil, go find a pulpit.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower!
Here's my post on literary pet peeves: http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/12/pet-peeves-of-literary-sort.html
I feel that way about both books and movies. I know I am being manipulated to some degree even by all authors--that is sort of what literature is, I suppose--but when it is done hamfistedly, I really resist. I like my emotions to build from what has slowly unfolded.
ReplyDeleteI've only read one Picoult book. I wanted to see what all the hype was about. The book was quite (melo)-dramatic and had one or two too many twists. But I thought it raised some interesting questions. I suppose it was an emotionally manipulative book, but I was coming at it from a different perspective so I just found it curious.
ReplyDeleteNot really about emotional manipulation, but if the writers trying to hammer their point home, I don't mind being manipulated a bit if there's subtlety, but don't like feeling like I'm being dumbed down to, whether in film or book.
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is something you mentioned in your last post. When writers keep breaking into French (or any other language) assuming their readers are as fluent as they are. Charlotte Bronte overdoes this in Villette.
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