On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:52:13 -0800, Allen Esterson wrote: >In relation to this article: > http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/12/gladwell-200912
>Mike Palij wrote [snip] >> Perhaps what I like least about Gladwell's writing is >> when he comes off like a snarky intellectual version >> of Larry King, AS HE DOES IN THIS THROWAWAY >> ARTICLE. (emphasis added) >And Christopher Green wrote: [snip] >> more to the point of THIS ADMITTEDLY TRITE >> GLADWELL PIECE…" (emphasis added) >And Mike again: >> It may come as a surprise to some, however, that GLADWELL >> IS DOING A SHTICK, but this is, of course, his most >> adorable/annoying characteristic. :-) (emphasis added) > >Hey, folks. The article was a parody of Gladwell *written by Craig >Brown*. Really? The piece by Brown appears on page 206 of the December issue of Vanity Fair. At the end of the one page article it says: "--As Told to Craig Brown" The same statement is made under the headlines of the Paltrow article on the VF website (though not for Gladwell's piece, instead under the headline there is the statement "Malcolm Gladwell explains Christmas to Craig Brown"). Now, if Brown interviews Paltrow and Gladwell, I expect that Brown is the author of the printed interview. However, this is not the sense of "written" you imply, rather, you seem to be saying that he pretends to interview people and uses the made-up interview to parody/sartirize/mock the interviewee. Perhaps you reach this conclusion because you are familiar with Brown's other writing where he has used this "gimmick" (since he is a British writer and not that well known on this side of the pond). But I must ask the following question: Given what Vanity Fair has presented on Brown's Maccolm Gladwell article, what either in the magazine or the webpage on which it appears supports your contention that it is fiction? I concede that Brown may have written a parody of Gladwell but on the basis of what available evidence (that is the article in VF and on the website) would lead one to this conclusion? I recognize that writers may write about things in a satirical style but one often has to know both the writer and the person/thing being satirized to realize that it is satire. For example, being able to follow Michael Musto in the "Village Voice" often requires extra knowledge to distinguish the "phoney" statements he might make from the "real" statements. Does reading Craig Brown require such knowledge? Does one have to be in on the joke to know that it is a joke? Or is everything he writes a joke? >Craig Brown would be amazed that it led to a serious exchange >on the meaning of Christmas! http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/comedy/craigbrown.shtml I would say that if he was amazed, then he would be amazed at the statement among theater folks that "Satire is what closes on Saturday night" (attributed to George S. Kaufman who apparently was a runner-up in a "Barton Fink" look alike contest, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_S._Kaufman ) -Mike Palij New York University m...@nyu.edu --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
