I'm super intrigued by Rothfeld's argument, and am excited to read the book! The inclusion of those 'maximalist' novels is interesting, though. Those are all 'great' books that are accepted as some of the best pieces of literature ever written. But there are equally way more 'maximalist' books that try to be all encompassing and 'everyth…
I'm super intrigued by Rothfeld's argument, and am excited to read the book! The inclusion of those 'maximalist' novels is interesting, though. Those are all 'great' books that are accepted as some of the best pieces of literature ever written. But there are equally way more 'maximalist' books that try to be all encompassing and 'everything' but are shallow and flawed, just as there are 'sparse' novels that are actually incredibly deep and rich and some of the greatest works ever!
There seems to be a conflation here between 'style' and 'substance', which I'm a little wary of. Bosch is a phenomenal painter, and certainly a maximalist! But by this same rubric, are 'minimalist' paintings such as those by Mark Rothko empty? Of course not, because the whole point of a Rothko (or anything stylistically similar) is that it appears to be simple, but beneath the surface is a whole world of meaning that can completely envelop the viewer. You can take the same idea to decor, and clothing, and anything! Is a minimalist home in the style of Marie Kondo really empty, or is there richness that a person looking exclusively on the surface of things can't quite see at first glance?
Anyways, super interested in the book and want to read!
I'm super intrigued by Rothfeld's argument, and am excited to read the book! The inclusion of those 'maximalist' novels is interesting, though. Those are all 'great' books that are accepted as some of the best pieces of literature ever written. But there are equally way more 'maximalist' books that try to be all encompassing and 'everything' but are shallow and flawed, just as there are 'sparse' novels that are actually incredibly deep and rich and some of the greatest works ever!
There seems to be a conflation here between 'style' and 'substance', which I'm a little wary of. Bosch is a phenomenal painter, and certainly a maximalist! But by this same rubric, are 'minimalist' paintings such as those by Mark Rothko empty? Of course not, because the whole point of a Rothko (or anything stylistically similar) is that it appears to be simple, but beneath the surface is a whole world of meaning that can completely envelop the viewer. You can take the same idea to decor, and clothing, and anything! Is a minimalist home in the style of Marie Kondo really empty, or is there richness that a person looking exclusively on the surface of things can't quite see at first glance?
Anyways, super interested in the book and want to read!