The Agony and the Ecstacy

[sistermagpie]

All:
> The good example would be Pullman's "His Dark Materials". I loved 
the 
> first book and second and hated third and especially ending.
> 
> But was it my fault for hating the third book? Um, yeah, TOTALLY. 
I 
> mean, not **fault**, but my views if that make sense.
> 
> Third book was not any worse written or anything like that, it is 
> just I did not get what I wanted out of it.

 
> So, I absolutely think that the books are fantastically written, 
> great story, etc, but I will NOT reread them again. That does not 
> mean that I will ever claim that Pullman is a bad writer, that his 
> story does not flow, etc.
> 
> It is just he took the story in the direction I disliked 
immensely, 
> but it is my problem, NOT his.
> 
> Again, there is no implied comparison with what people who hated 
> seventh book think of Rowling, it is a description of how I think 
of 
> the books.

Magpie:
I guess for me I think it would be perfectly valid to also think it 
was Pullman's problem. I mean, not to the point where he's at fault 
for not writing any specific story that you wanted, but for 
instance, I know somebody who got to the end and thought the books 
were crazy in a similar way as some people feel about the ending of 
DH. Shehe read what Pullman wrote and said, "I didn't like this and 
here's why." She had no alternate version she thought he should have 
written, she just reacted to the story she was given. 

Likewise, JKR says she didn't like in Narnia how Susan doesn't go to 
Narnia because she likes nylons and lipsticks. Is that her problem? 
I don't think so. I mean, CSLewis wrote what he wanted, and JKR 
disagreed with the idea he put forth about Susan. CS Lewis wasn't 
wrong to write the books the way he wanted, but I don't think JKR 
was wrong to say she reacted negatively to Susan's ending and why. 
(And of course Pullman has his own criticisms of what he doesn't 
like in Narnia.) For me this is all a normal part of reacting to 
books and talking about them. (Obviously I don't agree with the 
poster who thinks there's no point in analyzing fiction--I think 
there's a very good point!)

Maybe I'm just misunderstanding how you're using the phrases "my 
problem" though--we both agree an author is going to write what he 
or she wants to write and don't think we're entitled to every book 
ending the way we like it in any detailed way.

-m