Is this lack of grounding a new thing? I think it was a feature of some of the PoMos like John Barth. But others, like Pynchon and DFW, as confusing as they could be, still had grounding details. And more recently, literary writers like Donna Tartt and (maybe less so) Rachel Cusk — plenty of grounding. Same with Demon Copperhead, which I…
Is this lack of grounding a new thing? I think it was a feature of some of the PoMos like John Barth. But others, like Pynchon and DFW, as confusing as they could be, still had grounding details. And more recently, literary writers like Donna Tartt and (maybe less so) Rachel Cusk — plenty of grounding. Same with Demon Copperhead, which I’m reading right now - but is Kingsolver considered literary?
I’ll accept your assessment of Pugilist at Rest — great story! Someone mentioned Sonny’s Blues, which is also up there. I think I’d pick a different Hemingway, maybe Hills or one of the Nick Adams stories.
Is this lack of grounding a new thing? I think it was a feature of some of the PoMos like John Barth. But others, like Pynchon and DFW, as confusing as they could be, still had grounding details. And more recently, literary writers like Donna Tartt and (maybe less so) Rachel Cusk — plenty of grounding. Same with Demon Copperhead, which I’m reading right now - but is Kingsolver considered literary?
I’ll accept your assessment of Pugilist at Rest — great story! Someone mentioned Sonny’s Blues, which is also up there. I think I’d pick a different Hemingway, maybe Hills or one of the Nick Adams stories.
The masters were masters for a reason.