Ian McEwan and them books he done written.

[Colourful Stuff]

I'm a great appreciator of Ian McEwan. He was probably the first adult author I was introduced to at the age of about thirteen. I remember reading Enduring Love and feeling utterly terrified of one day having to deal with an adult relationship. My literary diet up to that point mainly consisted of school reading and young adult series such as Artemus Fowl. As a result I don't really have much idea of how he is perceived as an author outside of my specific connection to him.

I commented in the Thirty Flights of Loving thread today about how well I feel that game captures a moment of warmth in a chaotic, tumultuous and unfriendly world. That is exactly what I see in McEwan's novels. His characters tear themselves and each other apart in the most unpleasant ways and it would be easy to see his world view as horribly cynical. I see the unpleasantness as a sort of heightened normality that is required as a contrast for the brief moments of real human warmth. The common manifestation of happiness in most stories is a permanent mental state to be attained after doing something difficult or unpleasant, but that isn't how it really works. Happiness in our lives exists as a series of individual points amongst a tapestry of other feelings and experiences, and really our most common state is one of not feeling much at all.

How do you feel about him as a writer? I feel his place in my growing up elevates him to the point that I find him difficult to criticise so it would be interesting to hear another perspective.

[makingmatter]

I see the unpleasantness as a sort of heightened normality that is required as a contrast for the brief moments of real human warmth. The common manifestation of happiness in most stories is a permanent mental state to be attained after doing something difficult or unpleasant, but that isn't how it really works. Happiness in our lives exists as a series of individual points amongst a tapestry of other feelings and experiences, and really our most common state is one of not feeling much at all.

I wouldn't say exactly that; the brief moments of happiness and warmth are made all the more mandatory because of the shadow that unpleasant experiences sometimes transposes over top of our lives. I do agree though that happiness exists as an individual and unique part of a set of occurrences that lies amongst an entire tableau of feelings; I don't believe we are inherently made of happiness, but we inherently all have the opportunity to be happy.

I'm a great appreciator of Ian McEwan. He was probably the first adult author I was introduced to at the age of about thirteen. I remember reading Enduring Love and feeling utterly terrified of one day having to deal with an adult relationship. My literary diet up to that point mainly consisted of school reading and young adult series such as Artemus Fowl. As a result I don't really have much idea of how he is perceived as an author outside of my specific connection to him.

I commented in the Thirty Flights of Loving thread today about how well I feel that game captures a moment of warmth in a chaotic, tumultuous and unfriendly world. That is exactly what I see in McEwan's novels. His characters tear themselves and each other apart in the most unpleasant ways and it would be easy to see his world view as horribly cynical. How do you feel about him as a writer? I feel his place in my growing up elevates him to the point that I find him difficult to criticise so it would be interesting to hear another perspective.

I've never actually read Mr. McEwan, but I've heard a lot about him. I just saw his latest book (Sweet Tooth, I think) is out in shelves here in Canada, to a lot of buzz, so I might just pick him up. What you described sounds intriguing. Anything you recommend starting with?

[Colourful Stuff]

I'd say Black Dogs is a good place to start. It isn't as grim as a lot of his books. Amsterdam for example could really turn you off him if you approached it with the wrong frame of mind. Black Dogs manages to tell the entire story of a sixty year marriage from the perspective of both parties in about two-hundred pages. It's sort of about how truth isn't the same as memory and how maybe it doesn't really matter. It really is a very interesting read.

Amsterdam would be a good place to go after that, just be prepared to hate everybody in it. The only sympathetic character in that book is dead.

[Ride Rise Roar]

I'm more interested in OP's & others opinions on emotions than McEwan right now; what other positive emotions except for happiness do we attain and how does one go about living knowing that happiness are rare or odd occurrences? I have my own ideas but I'm more interested in yours.

[electricblue]

I did not like Atonement but I loved the movie. The book was very plodding and boring. Even the sex was boring to read somehow.