June 12, 2007
Look away now, while I get slightly serious for a little while.
Laura Vivanco, an academic with an interest is romantic fiction, has written a critique on the themes in Decent Exposure.
Check out her thoughts here on her blog, Teach Me Tonight.
In the past, I’ve been self-conscious about discussing my writing in anything other than an ironic way but Laura’s analysis of themes in the book is spookily accurate. One or two of the examples she mentions are serendipity but others are spot on.
Laura says that I have been using a technique that Jenny Crusie terms ‘foreshadowing’, which I think is weaving subtle metaphor into the story related to the main themes. My daughter says I use semantic fields. I also use Persil Non-Bio but to be serious for a moment more…
It’s been 22 years since I studied English Literature and even then, literary criticism was never my forte. I tend to respond emotionally to books. However, reading Laura’s analysis has made me examine what I write in a new light.
PS I’ve decided to post an excerpt soon, from North & South 2005, the fanfic’ that triggered off my writing journey.
PPS: Still time to win copies of Wish You Were Here and More Than Love Letters.
Posted by Phillipa in Uncategorized @ 4:22 am
Barb H Says:
I found Laura’s analysis of your book fascinating, Phillipa. It’s always interesting when academics find things in books that the writer has done almost instinctively.
Thing is, if you consciously tried to put all those elements in your story, you’d probably lose something else — spontaneity or sexual tension perhaps. Interesting.