Cheerskep: I credit Gladwell for presenting some of the facts in an
interesting way. (Perhaps I'll omit that both the authors of whom you've
written of disapproving are Canadians.)
Assuming you were a publisher and Gladwell offered you his next book, would
you tell him to look elsewhere?
Geoff C
From: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Malcolm Gladwell
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:19:14 EST
In a message dated 12/29/08 9:08:56 PM, [email protected] writes:
> Cheerskep: I think most people know that Shakspeare was only telling a
darn
> good story. (Or presenting a story in a darn good way.)
> Mowat leads us to believe he's reporting. I've learned that his story
comes
> before objectivity. Gladwell's omission of relevant facts is one thing;
> claiming observations which re, in fact, manufactured is not a social
good
> (according to me).
> Geoff C
>
I dislike them both. Mary Renault would despise Farley Mowat. Many years
ago
I asked Renault to write a piece for me about writing a novel. She had a
great
reputation as a "historical novelist". In her piece she was very harsh
about
historical novelists who falsify the facts to make a better "story". She
wrote:
"It is inconceivable to me how anyone can decide deliberately to betray
[the
truth]; to alter some fact that was central to the life of a real human
being.
. .in order to make a smoother story, or to exploit him as propaganda for
some cause." Mowat did that, and not to write historical fiction a la
Shakespeare
or Tostoi.
But it was never clear to me that Renault, who was praised for the rigorous
historicity of her novels, would have backed down from criticising W.S. or
Tolstoi or a movie like CHARIOTS OF FIRE. I don't think she would have
been
persuaded by your line, "I think most people know that Shakespeare was only
telling a darn good story."
To me, Gladwell's performance is despicable on two scores -- his product,
and
his method. He advances a thesis that is blatantly false, and his
"research"
is despicable.
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