How . . . boggling

[pegkerr]

vanityfair wrote an entry about trying to convince her mom to read The Wild Swans. Her mom did not want to do so. The conversation did not go well.

It's an extremely peculiar sensation to learn that someone is afraid to read your work. After all, I don't consider myself to be a particularly scary person! (Well, that's a guess on my part, judging from the reaction Aja described. But that's what it sounds like to me.)

I find it sad that the interaction didn't work for Aja, too, because I had hoped that The Wild Swans would work exactly as she tried to use it, as something to prompt honest reach-across-the-barrier conversations.

Eh well, maybe Aja's mom will read it yet. Or if not, another book that accomplishes the same purpose.

Peg

Comments

Scary--

[matociquala.livejournal.com]

--on the other hand, if you're scaring people, it means you're making them think, and you're achieving the thing that art is for.

I maintain that no good book hasn't been thrown across the room at least once by somebody, somewhere.

[uminomamori.livejournal.com]

Interesting:) I'd be amazed if conversations involving slash and parents ever went well...

the wild swans

[wildgarden.livejournal.com]

I read The Wild Swans and really enjoyed it. It's in my local public library.

I'd recommend it but probably never try to push it on somebody who was afraid of it.

Afraid of what? I wonder.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

I find it sad that the interaction didn't work for Aja, too, because I had hoped that The Wild Swans would work exactly as she tried to use it, as something to prompt honest reach-across-the-barrier conversations.

Yeah... but on the other hand, sometimes it's been programmed in bone deep. If Aja were to, say, just leave it there, her mom might read it eventually...

As long as she's even vaguely willing to talk, I don't count it as a failure.

[boniblithe.livejournal.com]

I'm with you - I got the impression that the mom got thrown off balance by the volume of information in such a short period of time. Some people need a bit more time for things like that. I don't count it as a failure at all, because my in-laws for example would have probably thrown holy water on me just to see if I would burn to a crisp for spouting such sinful talk in their house. Everything's relative.

[pameladean]

I bet your book has worked exactly like that on people with opinions like Aja's mom's, but I should think it would work better if it sneaked up on them. Found in a list of nominations for the Minnesota Book Award, on a list of adaptations of what turns out to be somebody's favorite fairy tale, books set in the 17th century, books by the same person who wrote that fabulous one about the ice palace.

Pamela

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

The Wild Swans is one of the best books I've ever read - and I'm not just saying that because I know the author ;)

And hey, I'm a Dane, it's one of our stories you 'borrowed' ;)

Love,
Maria