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face-toward-the-mountain (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} nyoda) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank, |
The Editor's View, Part 1
Seldom do I really answer those who criticize my work.
The correct form is 'Seldom do I answer'. 'Really' is a qualifier. Stick in the qualifier, and a perfect sensible sentence meaning 'I seldom answer those who criticize me' alters to become: 'I answer those who criticize me--but I don't REALLY answer them. Most of the time." It's silly.
In fact, the entire development of my career has been fueled by my ability to ignore denigrating and trivializing criticism as I realize my dreams and my goals.
"Denigrate"--to defame or to disparage the reputation of a person.
"Trivialize"--to make trivial or to minimize.
Criticism does not blacken or defame the reputation of the person criticized. Comments, gossip, slander, libel--these things can taint a reputation. Criticism...no.
And 'trivialized criticism' would be criticism that someone had minimized. It would not be criticism that had minimized the author's work.
However there is something compelling about Amazon's willingness to publish just about anything, and the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things you've said here that actually touches my proletarian and Democratic soul.
A comma should follow 'However.'
I think that Anne means that Amazon's willingness to publish reviews from anyone is compelling, but the impression this sentence leaves is that Amazon is willing to publish anything by any author, not unlike a print-on-demand press. Sloppy sentence construction, Anne. Very sloppy.
The second clause is awkward. Does Anne mean to say that "the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things said here" is also "compelling"? Or does she intend to say "the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things you've said here touches my soul"? Either way, she doesn't say it.
There is a thoroughly unnecessary "that" in the second clause.
And then--oh, dear. I'm afraid Anne doesn't know what she is saying. "Proletarian" means "of, about, or concerning the proletariat." "Proletariat" is defined as "wage-earners collectively, especially those without capital and dependent on selling their labor" and "the lowest class of the community, especially when being considered uncultured."
So Anne is either stating that she is a wage-earner without capital (in which case I shall laugh in her face, as her books have earned her a sizable amount of capital over the years), or that she is low class and uncultured (in which case, going by the books, I shall have to agree).
Also, she speaks of "my Democratic soul." Now, with a small "d", "democratic" means "favoring social equality." With a capital "D", it means "U.S. political party, opposed to the Republicans." Seldom has random capitalization altered the meaning of a word so much.
Also I use and enjoy Amazon and I do read the reviews of other people's books in many fields.
A comma should follow "Also" and "Amazon." The second clause is grammatically awkward, but not incorrect. It would be more correct to speak of many different genres of writing, rather than many fields of other people's books, but that is neither here nor there.
In sum, I believe in what happens here.
I think that Anne is stating her general approval for Amazon's policy of reviews by the public, but since she is about to state very specific displeasure over the nature of those reviews, such a statement would not make sense.
Seldom do I really answer those who criticize my work.
The correct form is 'Seldom do I answer'. 'Really' is a qualifier. Stick in the qualifier, and a perfect sensible sentence meaning 'I seldom answer those who criticize me' alters to become: 'I answer those who criticize me--but I don't REALLY answer them. Most of the time." It's silly.
In fact, the entire development of my career has been fueled by my ability to ignore denigrating and trivializing criticism as I realize my dreams and my goals.
"Denigrate"--to defame or to disparage the reputation of a person.
"Trivialize"--to make trivial or to minimize.
Criticism does not blacken or defame the reputation of the person criticized. Comments, gossip, slander, libel--these things can taint a reputation. Criticism...no.
And 'trivialized criticism' would be criticism that someone had minimized. It would not be criticism that had minimized the author's work.
However there is something compelling about Amazon's willingness to publish just about anything, and the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things you've said here that actually touches my proletarian and Democratic soul.
A comma should follow 'However.'
I think that Anne means that Amazon's willingness to publish reviews from anyone is compelling, but the impression this sentence leaves is that Amazon is willing to publish anything by any author, not unlike a print-on-demand press. Sloppy sentence construction, Anne. Very sloppy.
The second clause is awkward. Does Anne mean to say that "the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things said here" is also "compelling"? Or does she intend to say "the sheer outrageous stupidity of many things you've said here touches my soul"? Either way, she doesn't say it.
There is a thoroughly unnecessary "that" in the second clause.
And then--oh, dear. I'm afraid Anne doesn't know what she is saying. "Proletarian" means "of, about, or concerning the proletariat." "Proletariat" is defined as "wage-earners collectively, especially those without capital and dependent on selling their labor" and "the lowest class of the community, especially when being considered uncultured."
So Anne is either stating that she is a wage-earner without capital (in which case I shall laugh in her face, as her books have earned her a sizable amount of capital over the years), or that she is low class and uncultured (in which case, going by the books, I shall have to agree).
Also, she speaks of "my Democratic soul." Now, with a small "d", "democratic" means "favoring social equality." With a capital "D", it means "U.S. political party, opposed to the Republicans." Seldom has random capitalization altered the meaning of a word so much.
Also I use and enjoy Amazon and I do read the reviews of other people's books in many fields.
A comma should follow "Also" and "Amazon." The second clause is grammatically awkward, but not incorrect. It would be more correct to speak of many different genres of writing, rather than many fields of other people's books, but that is neither here nor there.
In sum, I believe in what happens here.
I think that Anne is stating her general approval for Amazon's policy of reviews by the public, but since she is about to state very specific displeasure over the nature of those reviews, such a statement would not make sense.
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