tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post3172362988253117371..comments2024-03-26T19:10:00.791-04:00Comments on West Coast Stat Views (on Observational Epidemiology and more): The Pauline Kael Rule strikes againJosephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10760453165301871031noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-47750513692914738422013-05-11T23:18:50.286-04:002013-05-11T23:18:50.286-04:00Of course, you also have to account for someone li...Of course, you also have to account for someone like Faulkner. Harlan Ellison observed that for every novelist who could "swing both way," (using Faulkner as an example) there were many others who could never get the hang of writing for other media.<br /><br />I suspect genre writers may fare better as screenwriters because in both cases you generally have to work within a more restrictive system of constraints.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14705408455380402571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976144462093297473.post-78268627268309824742013-05-11T21:09:48.752-04:002013-05-11T21:09:48.752-04:00What strikes me about the Kael quote is how genre ...What strikes me about the Kael quote is how genre writing typically has lower standards than "real" writing. As short story writers and novelists, Dorothy Parker and John O'Hara were more than competent but were not giants. But as screenwriters they are excellent.<br /><br />I had a similar reaction after reading a Chris Ware story in the New Yorker a few years ago. Chris Ware is great, but if you were to evaluate his story _as a story_ (rather than in comparison to other cartoon stories), it's just OK.<br /><br />Good writing, when placed in a "genre" context, can look like excellent writing compared to the rest of what's out there.Andrew Gelmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02715992780769751789noreply@blogger.com