John Morton
@drjmorton.bsky.social
Assoc Prof of English Lit and Deputy Head of Humanities and Social Sciences at Uni of Greenwich. All views my own
... ok, reviews by writers have always promoted their own aesthetic & subject matter, but there is so little engagement with OV's intent here in favour of (imo fairly unsuccessful) mockery that all the fawning over the review feels quite misplaced. At best this warranted 2000 words, not 5000
June 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
... ok, reviews by writers have always promoted their own aesthetic & subject matter, but there is so little engagement with OV's intent here in favour of (imo fairly unsuccessful) mockery that all the fawning over the review feels quite misplaced. At best this warranted 2000 words, not 5000
I also think that the end result of the review is to promote aesthetically conservative and ultra self aware writing, set some way in the past (so the morality is easy to determine & nuance), which is basically what TC provides in his own (I think v overpraised) novel...
June 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I also think that the end result of the review is to promote aesthetically conservative and ultra self aware writing, set some way in the past (so the morality is easy to determine & nuance), which is basically what TC provides in his own (I think v overpraised) novel...
Yes - blurbs are always ott, and more often than not they're not especially reflective of what the author was trying to do imo. To focus on them for so long is to avoid engaging with both the intent of the novelist, but also really with his actual appeal, in favour of easy uncontested dunks
June 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Yes - blurbs are always ott, and more often than not they're not especially reflective of what the author was trying to do imo. To focus on them for so long is to avoid engaging with both the intent of the novelist, but also really with his actual appeal, in favour of easy uncontested dunks
I agree - and with this, there needs to at least be some time dedicated to *why* the novelist might have decided to write in this manner. The Crewe piece is far too focused on (often failed) mockery rather than genuine critical engagement. It's not like TC didn't have space
June 21, 2025 at 10:38 AM
I agree - and with this, there needs to at least be some time dedicated to *why* the novelist might have decided to write in this manner. The Crewe piece is far too focused on (often failed) mockery rather than genuine critical engagement. It's not like TC didn't have space
W/O that, if you're not fully & immediately onside w/ the reviewer, the approach feels fundamentally unfair. It's actually made me more likely to check out Ocean Vuong's work than I was previously. & TC's own novel doesn't stand up that well when viewed in this unkind manner either imo 3/3
June 19, 2025 at 11:52 AM
W/O that, if you're not fully & immediately onside w/ the reviewer, the approach feels fundamentally unfair. It's actually made me more likely to check out Ocean Vuong's work than I was previously. & TC's own novel doesn't stand up that well when viewed in this unkind manner either imo 3/3
It's not like there wasn't space (5000 words? did it need to be so long given the sentiment is repeated over and over?). Was it more important to pile up quotations (some of which are *not* self-evidently bad), vs thinking about the wider context and rationale for the novel & choices taken...? 2/3
June 19, 2025 at 11:52 AM
It's not like there wasn't space (5000 words? did it need to be so long given the sentiment is repeated over and over?). Was it more important to pile up quotations (some of which are *not* self-evidently bad), vs thinking about the wider context and rationale for the novel & choices taken...? 2/3
Ditto that this phrase will create hundreds of thousands of degree-equivalent post-a-Level opportunities outside of HE
May 15, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Ditto that this phrase will create hundreds of thousands of degree-equivalent post-a-Level opportunities outside of HE
Best gigs were Nick Cave at the Dome and Idles at Ally Pally, and best DJ sets were literally every single one I saw at Waterworks esp Jay Carder/Ema/Yussh plus Interplanetary Criminal at Gala.
December 17, 2024 at 6:58 PM
Best gigs were Nick Cave at the Dome and Idles at Ally Pally, and best DJ sets were literally every single one I saw at Waterworks esp Jay Carder/Ema/Yussh plus Interplanetary Criminal at Gala.
For songs, aside from stuff on those albums, "Right Back to It" by Waxahatchee, "Flight FM" by Joy Orbison, "Beta Bass" by Mance, "Empty and Silent" by Mount Kimbie, everything by Fcukers, and also (from last year but only heard it this year) "Bound 2 Falling in Dub" by Gresha (cont in next post)
December 17, 2024 at 6:58 PM
For songs, aside from stuff on those albums, "Right Back to It" by Waxahatchee, "Flight FM" by Joy Orbison, "Beta Bass" by Mance, "Empty and Silent" by Mount Kimbie, everything by Fcukers, and also (from last year but only heard it this year) "Bound 2 Falling in Dub" by Gresha (cont in next post)