Word: marcusã
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Dates: during 2002-2002
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...invent new uses of language.” If the premise of fiction is that an exploration of what was never real can inform our understanding of what is and might be real, then Notable American Women certainly has an intriguing contribution to offer. Unfortunately, Marcus?? inventiveness seems to be a double-edged sword, which means that his contribution is limited to an intellectual realm in which “hugely emotional” reactions have no place...
...Marcus?? website, www.benmarcus.com, is also full of elaborate gimmicks, such as cutesy minimalist illustrations and a glossary of terms from the book, designed to appeal to those who loved Eggers’ self-conscious style. Certain stops on Marcus?? reading tour will feature demonstrations of Silentist rituals. Marcus has even penned an essay admitting, “I have written a bad book,” for McSweeney’s, the newly prominent platform (born out of Eggers’ success) for this sort of youthful and experimental genre...
Reactions to the actual substance of Marcus?? novel will generally fall into one of two categories. Some readers will laud it for its inventiveness, its willingness to take risks with the ways we normally think about words and emotions and its eagerness to push the boundaries of language. “I was interested in taking these modes of suppression against women, like silence and stillness, and turning them into elective powers,” said Marcus. “I wanted to take the affliction of silence and turn it into a power.” This...
...many readers will not have this sort of reaction. Some of the things that make the book so exciting are the same things that pose a very real obstacle to its accessibility, and therefore to its acceptance by readers who don’t share Marcus?? delight in unconventional narrative. “I might be a kind of writers’ writer,” Marcus admits. “My interest in how words go together, how sentences are shaped—most readers don’t want to read and think about how language...
...question of the success of Marcus?? effort aside, Marcus still hopes that the book will have a noticeable influence over those who do “get it.” When asked what he hopes the book will do for those readers, he responds, “you know, set them on fire. Burn their faces off.” There is something brave and earnest in Marcus?? insistence on these (not entirely original) ideas about how we use language and in his attempt to portray the resilience of emotions through their negation. Marcus deserves...