[Bananafish] Book Brokers

[James Rovira]

Horsefeces :).

Fiction is very dependent upon "facts" -- facts about the way people
act and talk, about the world they live in, what it looks like and
what it sounds like and what it feels like, etc.  No one automatically
suspends disbelief for everything they read without regard to "facts"
of any kind.  If you don't believe a character in a book, especially
if it's the main character, you'll think the book is poorly written
and will probably dismiss it.  If you don't believe the place -- when
you think you should -- you'll still the book is poorly written and
will dismiss it.

Most published stuff gets past most people without them thinking about
it -- because it presents a plausible view of the world.

Calling something "fiction" and even "enjoyable fiction" means,
therefore, that the author paid close attention to their facts.  Even
in the wildest sci-fi novel, the book establishes rules about the
world it's in and you expect it to be consistent.

Dan Brown's novel is supposed to be taking place in the world we all
live in.  Setting aside the Biblical scholarship (or lack of it)
behind his claims, the rest of the book is pretty believable because
it is factual.  The Louvre looks about like he said it looks.  So does
the Mona Lisa.  The characters were believable as well -- the albino
guy was a bit over the top, but he was supposed to be over the top, so
you believed that.  But if you knew the Mona Lisa was a small painting
and had Brown described at 6' X 8', you'd be annoyed and think he was
ignorant.  If he said the Eiffel Tower was Paris' major art gallery
(instead of the Louvre), you'd be annoyed and think he was ignorant.

The only real debate we can have is over what facts are relevant. It'd
be more intelligent to say factual biblical scholarship was extraneous
to the story -- and pretty accurate.  Brown himself, though, presented
his novel as based up "scholarship" even in this area, and for doing
so, he qualifies as an idiot in my book.  Just an idiot who wrote an
entertaining book.

Good knows there's been plenty of those in the past.

This is really basic stuff.  It has nothing to do with apple eating.
It does have a lot to do with good writing, though.

Jim