The Independent has a nice piece about Neil Gaiman, whose blog seems to be getting as much attention as his books. Here's a brief bit:
On the process of writing, meanwhile, he is clear, inclusive and infinitely courteous. "I remember when I was about seven," he says, "reading C S Lewis's Narnia books and discovering the concept of the parenthetical aside to the reader from the omniscient author. And going, I want to do that. I thought, wow - look, you can chat directly to the reader! You're God!"
This fascinates me, of course. How does speaking to the reader make you God? After all, God doesn't speak to folks much, nowadays, at least according to what I read and hear. Being the creator of a new world, now, that makes you God. Inventing, and letting things go. But talking to the reader? Anyone can do that!
(Still, I like the way he thinks...)
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by that logic, G-Mac was "playing God" as well (ahem, ahem) -- kidding.
ReplyDeleteI will have to read that article... I still haven't made it past the first story in Fragile Things, which I did not particularly like (detective stories aren't my thing, but he did mimic the style well)... trying not to jump ahead to the Susan Story...
I think a better thought from C.S. Lewis that Gaiman might have overlooked is God as the author of a book (human history) and being able to be both the influencer and creator of that history and also being the one who can know the beginning from the end; view it as a whole. Sort of part of it but simultaneosuly outside of it.
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