Quote: a talent is both something you're born with...and something you can hone.
Agree with this.
Also agree on most selected literature being 'institutional torment'. Some are good though.
"What you should be learning about is...how an author does what they do.
Use of metaphor, narrative structure. Themes. That sorta thing. All the little tricks and techniques - stuff that if you can spot, makes the whole experience
that much richer."
Didn't you get this? (I remember classes in my high school days where we did get this. With example text, short story's etc. An example would be using
the same words with a number of different meanings depending on context. (number was 6? or 8? or something)
I think, though i don't remember my book tests well, that i did get questions about some of these things in relation to assigned books, beside stuff about
the book itself. )
Don't totally agree with this:
'Literary Inbreeding'. The act of a circle of readers and writers, only using a limited amount of sources of relevant data sources and deriving the
data down to a dull pot of badness and stagnation.
There are good writers who see this (don't like it) and write a 'response'.
Acyl: were blasted for it.
Was it about the arguments or something else?