Epstein criticises Fish's propensity to cliché, which is accurate enough, but doesn't hesitate to stray into 'cliché country' himself: the sound of one hand clapping, for example.
I'm not sure, Lee, if the Zen reference is a cliche in this case. It struck me as just a point of reference, Epstein designating (as he later explicitly says)his proposition as koan-like, with all that that implies. Though I agree it is risky to use it these days ... unless you're talking Zen. And yes, George, you are tight about the brass
Epstein criticises Fish's propensity to cliché, which is accurate enough, but doesn't hesitate to stray into 'cliché country' himself: the sound of one hand clapping, for example.
ReplyDelete"Pause a moment to consider the wide reading required to have written that last sentence."
ReplyDeleteThe wide reading is clear; the brass is breathtaking.
I'm not sure, Lee, if the Zen reference is a cliche in this case. It struck me as just a point of reference, Epstein designating (as he later explicitly says)his proposition as koan-like, with all that that implies. Though I agree it is risky to use it these days ... unless you're talking Zen.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, George, you are tight about the brass
"The Best Book On The Art Of Writing":
ReplyDelete". . . Harriman House printed another run."
http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2012/07/the-best-book-on-the-art-of-writing/