Comments on: Taxonomy

By: Morphea

Morphea — Mon, 29 Aug 2005 15:32:42 +0000

Taxonomists are my fave, Aly (didn’t know they were called that but I DO NOW). And those fantasy and sci-fi writers are, like Michael said (sort of) taxonimists that put people in a saddle on a dragon or what-have-you.

Cerise

By: Ash

Ash — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 05:00:27 +0000

ταξινομία

By: aly hawkins

aly hawkins — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 04:58:20 +0000

Does that mean we get to start a laminated sheet for you too, or do we have to wait until you get all uppity?

By: michael lee

michael lee — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 02:51:42 +0000

Alot of people don’t know this, but Dickens actually, um, went by the name, um, David Copperfield, which is sort of his, you know, like, fictional autobi …

… aw crap, forget it. I screwed up.

By: aly hawkins

aly hawkins — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 01:19:21 +0000

Ah, the Dr. Seuss classics. Karen, thanks for the encouragement - and don’t ever apologize for filling your mind with the literary genius of The Suess.

Mike, get some counseling. Also, I think you mean Charles Dickens. Unless you’re referring to the magician David Copperfield. If so, my bad. In any case, thanks for putting me in the company of the Greats, however undeservedly. Someday…

By: Karen and Bobby

Karen and Bobby — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 16:10:21 +0000

After that response I feel completely inadequate to leave any praise. Pretty much the extent of my reading lately has been One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish so my brain cannot handle comparison and contrast. All that to say that I think Aly, you are an incredible writer and I am compelled to read the things you have written.

Karen

By: michael lee

michael lee — Sat, 27 Aug 2005 15:33:14 +0000

I’d say you’re in pretty good company as a writer: David Sedaris, Dostoevsky, Mark Twain, David Copperfield, note-takers all.

It’s funny, I was just reading Alan Jacobs’ essay on the Harry Potter phenomenon, comparing it to the world-building of Tolkien (though not Lewis, who allows his world to be penetrated by aberrations). His point is that in Tolkien’s world, as in Rowling’s, the feature that we find most compelling is that our human experience, particularly in its moral expression, transposes into that new world. It is the existence of the familiar within the other, the small finding courage to confront the big, the irrepressible value of true friendship, the power of choices to establish our character, these are the things that we see mirrored in those writers who create new worlds.

Ok, seriously, either I need to go through some Alan Jacobs withdrawal counselling, or he needs to get off his ass and write a new book every month.