Heh, Jane Austen has a whole bit in Northanger Abbey where she goes off against people claiming novels are ruining young women's brains. She would have skewered this guy.
And Pratchett! I would put him with Austen and Shakespeare, definitely (and Dickens I guess, although I don't really like Dickens). His grasp of human nature, his way with words, and the sheer... humanity that shines through his work. The beauty of Pratchett was that on the surface, yes, they were fantasy novel, but they always put a mirror up to the reader. There are SO MANY LAYERS there, and jokes that you only get at the 20th reading. I honestly feel that he was one of the greatest writers of the last few decades and I'm still sad that he died. :( How DARE this guy call him a bad influence, stupid writer!
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And Pratchett! I would put him with Austen and Shakespeare, definitely (and Dickens I guess, although I don't really like Dickens). His grasp of human nature, his way with words, and the sheer... humanity that shines through his work. The beauty of Pratchett was that on the surface, yes, they were fantasy novel, but they always put a mirror up to the reader. There are SO MANY LAYERS there, and jokes that you only get at the 20th reading. I honestly feel that he was one of the greatest writers of the last few decades and I'm still sad that he died. :(
How DARE this guy call him a bad influence, stupid writer!