Overrated Authors

[sr71plt]

Writing what you want vs. writing for the audience. When you cater to demand, you lose that essential spark of inspiration. Writing becomes a chore, a job. If your subject material is defined by the market, then you cease to be creative. But that's just my take on things.

Mind you I've also heard him say he doesn't mind cashing the checks.

 

[slyc_willie]

Mind you I've also heard him say he doesn't mind cashing the checks.

Well, that's the dream, right? To get paid for your passion?

I won't lie. If my style of writing suddenly became the new vogue, I'd cash my checks with glee. But I wouldn't change what I write just to cater to that fashion. Of course, I say that now as a poor, struggling writer.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

Samuel Johnson is a bit overrated for my tastes. His writing is simply too cosmetic and cold to find very interesting. His contributions to dictionary matters are noteworthy, but his attempts at fiction and poetry, eh, not so much.

 

[Epmd607]

Samuel Johnson is a bit overrated for my tastes. His writing is simply too cosmetic and cold to find very interesting. His contributions to dictionary matters are noteworthy, but his attempts at fiction and poetry, eh, not so much.

Wow, that's kinda obscure, the literary stylings of Dr. J. I can't imagine anyone knowing anything he's written besides for A Dictionary and Plan for a Dictionary. I'm familiar with his poetry, which I can't stand, but I'd like to know if you or anyone can give me some fiction by him that's still read.

Na Ribeira de Deus by the Cape Verdean author Henrique Teixeira de Sousa is overrated. haha.

 

[oggbashan]

Wow, that's kinda obscure, the literary stylings of Dr. J. I can't imagine anyone knowing anything he's written besides for A Dictionary and Plan for a Dictionary. I'm familiar with his poetry, which I can't stand, but I'd like to know if you or anyone can give me some fiction by him that's still read.

...

Johnson's Major works (from Wikipedia)
Essays, pamphlets, periodicals, sermons
1732–33 Birmingham Journal
1747 Plan for a Dictionary of the English Language
1750–52 The Rambler
1753–54 The Adventurer
1756 Universal Visiter
1756- The Literary Magazine, or Universal Review
1758–60 The Idler (1758–1760)
1770 The False Alarm
1771 Thoughts on the Late Transactions Respecting Falkland's Islands
1774 The Patriot
1775 A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
Taxation No Tyranny
1781 The Beauties of Johnson

Poetry

1728 Messiah, a translation into Latin of Alexander Pope's Messiah
1738 London
1747 Prologue at the Opening of the Theatre in Drury Lane
1749 The Vanity of Human Wishes
Irene, a Tragedy

Biographies, criticism
1744 Life of Mr Richard Savage
1745 Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth
1756 "Life of Browne" in Thomas Browne's Christian Morals
Proposals for Printing, by Subscription, the Dramatick Works of William Shakespeare
1765 Preface to the Plays of William Shakespeare
The Plays of William Shakespeare
1779–81 Lives of the Poets

Dictionary

1755 Preface to a Dictionary of the English Language
A Dictionary of the English Language

Novellas
1759 The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

Rasselas is still read but Dr Johnson's main contributions, apart from the Dictionary, are essays. They are still worth reading but Dr Johnson was overrated, not just by Boswell, but by his contemporaries.

Og

 

[Epmd607]

Johnson's Major works (from Wikipedia)
Essays, pamphlets, periodicals, sermons
1732–33 Birmingham Journal
1747 Plan for a Dictionary of the English Language
1750–52 The Rambler
1753–54 The Adventurer
1756 Universal Visiter
1756- The Literary Magazine, or Universal Review
1758–60 The Idler (1758–1760)
1770 The False Alarm
1771 Thoughts on the Late Transactions Respecting Falkland's Islands
1774 The Patriot
1775 A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
Taxation No Tyranny
1781 The Beauties of Johnson

Poetry

1728 Messiah, a translation into Latin of Alexander Pope's Messiah
1738 London
1747 Prologue at the Opening of the Theatre in Drury Lane
1749 The Vanity of Human Wishes
Irene, a Tragedy

Biographies, criticism
1744 Life of Mr Richard Savage
1745 Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth
1756 "Life of Browne" in Thomas Browne's Christian Morals
Proposals for Printing, by Subscription, the Dramatick Works of William Shakespeare
1765 Preface to the Plays of William Shakespeare
The Plays of William Shakespeare
1779–81 Lives of the Poets

Dictionary

1755 Preface to a Dictionary of the English Language
A Dictionary of the English Language

Novellas
1759 The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

Rasselas is still read but Dr Johnson's main contributions, apart from the Dictionary, are essays. They are still worth reading but Dr Johnson was overrated, not just by Boswell, but by his contemporaries.

Og

If anyone's read anything besides the poems and dictionary stuff please tell me something about it. I'm interested in Samuel's prose. Maybe English people study him in primary school?

 

[JamesSD]

I have heard John Grisham say that's because authors like him get trapped into multiple-book contracts over long period of times and they tend to get tired of writing what is prescribed for them to write.

Although, is anyone going to argue Grisham is a great writer? I put him in the box with J.K. Rowling; compotent writer, writes plots that have broad appeal. Also, as many Lit authors know, a pen name can be useful for releasing material that is more fun to write but doesn't necessarily fit the "brand".

 

[Epmd607]

Although, is anyone going to argue Grisham is a great writer? I put him in the box with J.K. Rowling; compotent writer, writes plots that have broad appeal. Also, as many Lit authors know, a pen name can be useful for releasing material that is more fun to write but doesn't necessarily fit the "brand".

John Updike might be a better example of competency and overrated. I don't know that anyone would say John Grisham is on par with Updike. I'd say he's overrated.

 

[oggbashan]

If anyone's read anything besides the poems and dictionary stuff please tell me something about it. I'm interested in Samuel's prose. Maybe English people study him in primary school?

Many years ago, in secondary school, I read his Shakespearean Prefaces and his Observations on MacBeth.

I found that they were gave me a good basis to balance the 1950s criticism of Shakespeare. They also helped with my essays because after Johnson I went on to read the 18th and 19th Century critical texts on Shakespeare (then usefully published in the World's Classic series).

Og

 

[ottohauser1977]

Joseph Smith. Sorry, but the Book of Mormon is a cheap knock-off of the Bible. Don't mean to be hateful, but L. Ron Hubbard wrote better, and he founded Scientology!