Beautiful Language Vs. A Great Story

You might have heard me rant a little on this before, but I've always had a hard time with literary fiction. I know that to many it's held in very high regard, and to that same many it's believed to be head and shoulders above main stream fiction. Part of me understands why, but the rest just shakes its head in disbelief.

Lately I've been reading ON BECOMING A NOVELIST by John Gardner, and I think it's helped me figure out what I dislike so much about literary fiction. In his book, Gardner talks about the importance of language. A writer's skill with language can be tantamount to their success, but it requires balance. When a writer becomes too obsessed with the language he's telling his story in, no matter how beautiful it may be, the story gets lost. Of course, neither should a writer neglect language. It adds depth to a piece that would otherwise be flat.

In a nutshell, I think that's why I find literary fiction so dry and boring. Too often I lose interest in the story because it seems to be a shadow in the background, a mere device to drive the language. The writer in question gets to hung up on his method and forgets about the story. First and foremost should always be the story, and the device, whether it be language, metaphor, symbolism, etc. should only be as useful as it is to making the story better. Once it starts to distract from the story, it's no longer useful and must be discarded.

So, what do you think? Am I way off base here? Obviously there are some excellent authors of literary fiction out there capable of telling a wonderful story, which are your favourites? What's more important to you? Beautiful language or a great story?

The Mystery of a Good Mystery

I've been reading a lot of detective novels of late, and by a lot, I mean two. First, there was THE SHERLOCKIAN by Graham Moore and lately I've been enjoying THE MANUAL OF DETECTION by Jebediah Berry. Normally, I wouldn't say I'm much of a mystery buff, but I've been enjoying these detective novels so much that I'm starting to really warm to the genre. And I think what makes both of these novels great, is their ability to keep the whodunnit completely unguessable right up to the bitter end.

It's a very rare and precious skill to able to craft a good mystery. I'd say ninety five percent of the time, when I sit down to read one, I already know who did it within the first chapter or two. But to be completely dumbfounded page after page, desperately trying to assemble the clues as you creep towards the end, that is something brilliant. And to be perfectly honest, I don't know how they do it. It's like a really good magic act. The slight of hand is so subtle you don't even realize it's happening.

What is the best mystery you've ever read? Of course, we have to give props to the Sherlock Holmes stories, those are undoubtedly the best. But, aside from such an obvious choice, which mystery left you so startled and amazed you never forgot it? What was it that made it so unforgettable? I'm not just asking rhetorical questions here either. I really want to know. Because when I finish my current detective novel, I want another one. So, help a fellow reader out!