Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Irony - Isnt That Like Tinny and Bronzy?
Among the more idiotic things I've been told by editors over the years is that "crime fiction readers are impatient with irony". And of course I hear superior Brits talk all the time about how Americans don't understand sarcasm and/or irony. What about Jon Stewart you'll ask and be told that Jon Stewart represents New York not America or some such nonsense which is then followed by a long rant about The Office and the genius of Ricky Gervais. But when you read the Amazon customer reviews for the JL421 Land Cruiser/Tank (this year's howling wolf t shirt) you see that these customer reviews come from all over the US not just New York or LA - to my mind this is proof that we all pretty much have the same sense of humor and that irony and sarcasm work everywhere that Mr Bean is not popular.
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19 comments:
Not everyone gets irony, but I wouldn't say the division is geographical.
I wonder what crime fiction readers those editors were talking to, because that isn't my take on crime fiction readers that I know at all.
Although I suppose you don't have to have much of a sense of irony to read Stieg Larsson.
Seana
Your sense of irony cant be overly acute otherwise Stieg Larsson will drive you crazy.
Which unfortunately undermines your case, as a huge percentage of Americans apparently adore him. Or at least his fiction, which is all that is really left for us to judge.
Lisbeth Salander is of course the queen of the non-ironic stance.
Seana
You're making good points.
This may explain the moribund nature of my career...
The next book: no irony, no jokes, may-december sex, a locked room problem where I dont give the reader all the information, snow, a scene in Australia actually on a sheep station(!) and of course a serial killing incest subplot.
You forgot the tattoos, which are crucial, at least to a northern California youth (and not so youthful).
It cool, though, that you are in a good position to actually visit an Australian sheep station and really make that part live.
How many Nordic crime writers does it take to change a lightbulb? One. It is a fairly simple procedure.
I know loads of English people without a sense of irony. The home counties is full of 'em.
Seana
True. But what if it doesnt conform to a 1950s stereotype.
Stupid question.
Print the legend.
Paul
Yes. I suppose I should remember that Brits like Celebrity Come Dancing and Big Brother and the X Factor. The Office is actually a minority taste.
Its a big mis-conception that Americans dont do irony. Media knobs say that all the time.
Think your being harsh on Mr Bean though. He takes his teddy on holiday and his teddy has his own toothbrush-come on! thats pure comedy gold.
Paul, I begin to understand why you had to flee to Poland.
I suppose in countries that were once within the Eastern Bloc, the vein of irony still runs pretty deep.
Or does it?
I did a little search on the death of irony, which I believe was in vogue here awhile ago. 9/11 supposedly killed it. This short piece by Roger Rosenblatt is the kind of writing that gives us Americans our 'sincere' rather than ironic reputation.
Frankie
I cant imagine any situation when I'll actually watch a Mr Brean episode outside of some kind of interrogation/psychological warfare experiment.
Seana
Probably people felt the same in the week after Pearl Harbour but things gradually go back to the default dont they?
Maybe I'll feel differently in twenty minutes, but that Rosenblatt piece sure seems to have dated badly.
Forget it, bub. You have no diacritical marks, double esses or letters foreign to the English alphabet in your name.
I'm sure Rowan Atkinson is a nice enough fellow, but-- No, he'd probably a nasty, self-involved little shit.
This is good: http://literallyunbelievable.org/
Peter, yes, unfortunately it made me realize that Rosenblatt always sounds like this.
Paul, great link. I wonder if Prince William's reputation will ever recover from mass "outrage!!" though.
I hope not ... I love the Obama/ parrot story later on.
Wait a minute--you mean I'm not getting a free parrot?
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