Book: Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Author: Joan Didion
Pages: 238
Copy: a friend’s
Read: June 30-July 4
Pages: 238
Copy: a friend’s
Read: June 30-July 4
Spoilers: this is
non-fiction—can you really spoil non-fiction?
One evening, as my friends were otherwise celebrating, I had this book, open to the essay "On Self-Respect," thrust into my hands. (The same friend had previously tried to explain Didion's point about putting a paper bag over one's head, but the exercise didn't really make sense until I actually read the essay.) I was instantly enamored of Didion. I read "On Self-Respect" twice before I was dragged back into the festivities. Joan Didion has a fantastic writing style, rivaled only, I think, by George Orwell. Her writing is crisp and direct, much like Orwell, and she has the most wonderful turns of phrase. Some of her sentences read more like poetry than like journalistic prose. (I think Orwell is slightly better because he can handle tangents so dexterously. Didion doesn't venture into such territory often, and when she does she keeps it to a sentence or two. Only Orwell could write 5-10 pages on some topic entirely unrelated to the main body of the essay and still make it important.)
I went into this book thinking I hadn't read any Didion before, but I realized when I read "Marrying Absurd" that I'd read at least one of her essays before. Surprisingly, I can't for the life of me remember where I encountered this essay before, but I do remember reading it. I will undoubtedly read more Didion, just as soon as I can get to the library. Didion is one of those authors I can easily see myself reading every word of. Her mastery of the essay-form is just too amazing to pass up.
While "On Self-Respect" is still my favorite of her essays, "On Keeping a Notebook" is also exceptional, as is her essay on the Central Valley, "Notes from a Native Daughter." Some of her essays are uneven and many end surprisingly abruptly, but even her unexceptional essays contain beautiful sentences and perfect images.
Despite the fact this collection is uneven, I'd highly recommend reading it in order. There's something about reading the pieces in near-chronological order that is simply amazing. Her first essays are interesting and certainly contain the seeds of the genius that is to come—but they just aren't the same. However, when they are read as early essays, their shortcomings aren't as visible. While most collections of essays can be flipped through willy-nilly, this book rewards a straight-forward, linear read, at least the first time.
I also think that any aspiring woman writer, especially if she aspires to write essays, should buy this book and read it daily. (I think any aspiring male writers should do the same, but female essayists are so few and far between that Didion will perhaps have a deeper impact on women.) "On Self-Respect" should be read by every young person, especially those that are struggling with internal issues—shyness, loneliness, what have you. Her points are true, even if they feel a little painful on the first reading. By the second reading, her points will feel less like accusations and more like coded advice.
—Benvolia
I went into this book thinking I hadn't read any Didion before, but I realized when I read "Marrying Absurd" that I'd read at least one of her essays before. Surprisingly, I can't for the life of me remember where I encountered this essay before, but I do remember reading it. I will undoubtedly read more Didion, just as soon as I can get to the library. Didion is one of those authors I can easily see myself reading every word of. Her mastery of the essay-form is just too amazing to pass up.
While "On Self-Respect" is still my favorite of her essays, "On Keeping a Notebook" is also exceptional, as is her essay on the Central Valley, "Notes from a Native Daughter." Some of her essays are uneven and many end surprisingly abruptly, but even her unexceptional essays contain beautiful sentences and perfect images.
Despite the fact this collection is uneven, I'd highly recommend reading it in order. There's something about reading the pieces in near-chronological order that is simply amazing. Her first essays are interesting and certainly contain the seeds of the genius that is to come—but they just aren't the same. However, when they are read as early essays, their shortcomings aren't as visible. While most collections of essays can be flipped through willy-nilly, this book rewards a straight-forward, linear read, at least the first time.
I also think that any aspiring woman writer, especially if she aspires to write essays, should buy this book and read it daily. (I think any aspiring male writers should do the same, but female essayists are so few and far between that Didion will perhaps have a deeper impact on women.) "On Self-Respect" should be read by every young person, especially those that are struggling with internal issues—shyness, loneliness, what have you. Her points are true, even if they feel a little painful on the first reading. By the second reading, her points will feel less like accusations and more like coded advice.
—Benvolia
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