I found Stoner very well done and beautifully written when I read it recently. Most reminiscent of Salter among other authors, Salter in All That Is or Light Years particularly, though not quite at that level for my own taste. I’m still not sure how to talk about the type Stoner represents, and its vices and virtues.. which is something I think is an excellent sign. He was a coward in crucial ways that made me despise him, but that certainly wasn’t all he was.
I finally need to read this! It was getting quite a bit of buzz on Bookstagram this past fall but I passed it by. you’re review has me thinking I’ll like it
I had a completely different reaction to this book. I didn’t read Stoner as sympathetic at all, he’s weak and very selfish, frankly. Important to note that he essentially rapes his wife in the beginning. Still a beautiful book, I loved it but I don’t think it is a flattering portrait
I read "Stoner" a few years ago. I don't think it's a *great* novel, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. However, there were some things about it that puzzled me.
First, a lot of reviews call this a book about a man “who fell in love with literature.” The strange thing, however, is that apart from one scene early on, we get little indication of what literature Stoner actually likes. In the real world, professors have books that they love, books that they hate, books to which they have an irrational devotion, books about which they change their opinions over time, and books which they feel compelled to teach even though they don’t enjoy them very much. The novel doesn't tell us much about this.
The other thing that's missing is religion, even though Stoner grows up early in the 20th century in the very middle of Middle America. We are told that he attended a local Methodist church with his family, but that’s about it. One would expect it to have some kind of influence on Stoner himself, even if he eventually decided to reject it. But Stoner, despite being a professional intellectual, does not consider any religious questions in the course of the novel, nor does he construct an alternative worldview, whether based on philosophy, literature, ethics, or even his own personal experiences.
Even though Stoner is immersed in literature, he remains curiously walled off from whatever imaginative possibilities it may offer to his own life. He doesn’t so much live as let life have its way with him.
I like this take. I felt similarly. It seemed like a portrait of a man who got everything he wanted and took no pleasure in it. A man who got a yes to everything he asked for and turned that ride into a joyless slog. It’s a very midwestern view of life.
I found Stoner very well done and beautifully written when I read it recently. Most reminiscent of Salter among other authors, Salter in All That Is or Light Years particularly, though not quite at that level for my own taste. I’m still not sure how to talk about the type Stoner represents, and its vices and virtues.. which is something I think is an excellent sign. He was a coward in crucial ways that made me despise him, but that certainly wasn’t all he was.
I finally need to read this! It was getting quite a bit of buzz on Bookstagram this past fall but I passed it by. you’re review has me thinking I’ll like it
It’s worth it, even with all the hype.
Now review Williams’ ‘Augustus’. Roman epistolary novel. I loved it!
I had a completely different reaction to this book. I didn’t read Stoner as sympathetic at all, he’s weak and very selfish, frankly. Important to note that he essentially rapes his wife in the beginning. Still a beautiful book, I loved it but I don’t think it is a flattering portrait
i do not care for this book…
I read "Stoner" a few years ago. I don't think it's a *great* novel, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. However, there were some things about it that puzzled me.
First, a lot of reviews call this a book about a man “who fell in love with literature.” The strange thing, however, is that apart from one scene early on, we get little indication of what literature Stoner actually likes. In the real world, professors have books that they love, books that they hate, books to which they have an irrational devotion, books about which they change their opinions over time, and books which they feel compelled to teach even though they don’t enjoy them very much. The novel doesn't tell us much about this.
The other thing that's missing is religion, even though Stoner grows up early in the 20th century in the very middle of Middle America. We are told that he attended a local Methodist church with his family, but that’s about it. One would expect it to have some kind of influence on Stoner himself, even if he eventually decided to reject it. But Stoner, despite being a professional intellectual, does not consider any religious questions in the course of the novel, nor does he construct an alternative worldview, whether based on philosophy, literature, ethics, or even his own personal experiences.
Even though Stoner is immersed in literature, he remains curiously walled off from whatever imaginative possibilities it may offer to his own life. He doesn’t so much live as let life have its way with him.
I like this take. I felt similarly. It seemed like a portrait of a man who got everything he wanted and took no pleasure in it. A man who got a yes to everything he asked for and turned that ride into a joyless slog. It’s a very midwestern view of life.
You might like this:
https://open.substack.com/pub/kvetch/p/stoner