Hilary Mantel on the art of making the dead speak. I think she may go slightly too far in the direction of flattening the language and making it undistinctive: I loved Wolf Hall and am very eager to read the sequel, but language is the least interesting part of the fictional world she creates.
Sent off the piece I had due today about twenty minutes ago; have a couple of school things I really should do this afternoon, but they are going to have to wait till tomorrow! Struck with a slight cold or sinus infection of some sort, alas; it is the inevitable consequence, I fear, of a spell of working too hard and the struggle to get out of town without leaving too many loose threads.
I'm not quite sure if you're right about Mantel's prose. Can you give some particulars? In Giving Up the Ghost there are some lovely passages - lovely sentences - for example:
ReplyDelete'They [two bigger girls] are fifteen years old, with great brawny arms, with the woody scent of motherhood rushing from their pores and enveloping me.'
Perhaps Mantel is uneven? Changing as she develops/ages? I'll have to go back to Wolf Hall for another look. Originally I took the voice to be rather specific to her purpose. But I'm glad to be surprised by your views: forces me to (re)think!