http://disqus.com/by/marshponds/enThu, 26 Mar 2009 01:10:01 -0000http://ragbag.tumblr.com/post/89692097#comment-7516843<p>What's even weirder about people clinging to Kerouac is how so many people try to distance themselves from him - and place themselves above or 'over' Kerouac. At the time of writing, your post has 32 notes of people reblogging or hearting this. Why do people feel such a need to rip on Kerouac? He may not be all he's cracked up to be, but is he really that bad? (Enter people trying to outdo each other on how vacuous they think Kerouac is)</p><p>I think the tendency to rip on Kerouac comes from the same motivation behind the tendency to cling to Kerouac: identity formation.</p>marshpondsThu, 26 Mar 2009 01:10:01 -0000http://tsparks.tumblr.com/post/77823153#comment-6246595<p>This is one of my favorite pages from Blood Meridian. That last line, "Oh my god, said the sargeant." puts a brilliant, chopping halt to the swirling language before it. One of the best pages I've ever read in literature.</p><p>The comparison to The Road is interesting. While its prose shares an eerie quality with the Road, Blood Meridian feels like it inhabits a different, more spectacular world. Just as horrific--perhaps more so--and just as bare and prehistoric, but more complex. I'm doing a horrible job of describing it. I guess The Road's lack of characters has something to do with it. Blood Meridian is not only full of characters--one of whom, the judge, is complex on the level of Kurtz--it also is based on historical events and prehistorical impulses.</p><p>Anyway, Tom, I've read reviews of 2666; it looks amazing. And I gotta hand it to you for reading it. That thing is a monster! Maybe this summer I'll get around to it.</p><p>I am looking forward to some more posts on Blood Meridian and your thoughts on it.</p>marshpondsFri, 13 Feb 2009 15:20:13 -0000http://52books.tumblr.com/post/32827922#comment-4466397<p>Maybe you were expecting too much from the narrative. The story was not meant to "grab" you. Isn't a big part of this book playing with the idea of plot (it always leads to death)? DeLillo's not Michael Grisham or Tom Clancy or whatever.</p><p>Your review is a disappointment. I am surprised that your review does not even try to understand all the stuff about death, simulacrae, etc. in the novel? This superficial review of the book makes me think that your whole project is detrimental to your reading experience. If you have to just gloss over these books to keep on schedule, what's the point in reading them at all?</p>marshpondsWed, 17 Dec 2008 15:57:40 -0000http://waxandmilk.tumblr.com/post/60800641#comment-3929010<p>I NEED to know who this artist is.</p>marshpondsFri, 21 Nov 2008 01:31:36 -0000