Christian Lorentzen is an editor and writer for The London Review Of Books and a regular contributor to New York Magazine and Vulture. He’s liked by a fair few folk, and has just under 10,000 followers on Twitter – but this week, his reach extended quite a bit further than that.
Replying to a now-deleted critique of James Joyce‘s Ulysses by Adam Serwer, staff writer for The Atlantic and known to read a comic book or two in his time, Christian posted,
I’d rather read ‘Ulysses’ over and over and over than ever ‘read’ a graphic ‘novel’.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 4, 2019
Well, just as Adam was being attacked (a lot) by James Joyce fans, so Christian was under social media assault from comic book fans. Who, stripped of the original context, felt their medium was being besmirched.
I saw it as a little false equivalence, along the lines of someone saying ‘I’d rather eat lobster Thermidor than ever ‘listen’ to musical ‘performances” but some people wanted to do the equivalent of condemning him for never having heard of Bach.
Here are some of the more entertaining responses.
why not read both? pic.twitter.com/ffOxBwlDbv
— Tom Spurgeon (@comicsreporter) April 5, 2019
— THE KEEPER OF TRUTH (@ultimate_welder) April 5, 2019
— Ian (@Big_Cat74) April 5, 2019
— Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) April 5, 2019
Of all the hills to shitpost from and probably die on, you choose this one? Ok.
— Pirate Lord of the Perseus Arm (@jimsbomb) April 5, 2019
but would you listen to a podcast about a graphic novel based on “Ulysses”?
— 32 across (@aoscott) April 4, 2019
Good news! There is a graphic novel of Ulysses :) also, it is a tricky one as there are so many links to the Odyssey, which was represented extensively in ancient art. Almost as if creative expression can have merit across media.
— Matthew Pountney (@Jibberjabba) April 5, 2019
Or do both! pic.twitter.com/4zOv78Jga4
— Cathy (@cathy_mcm) April 5, 2019
I considered replying in detail to this “thought” by a “person who thinks deeply and is 100% not a troll in pretentious snob clothing” but I’d rather read a graphic novel.
— Kate Gordon (@DireleafeHall) April 5, 2019
James Joyce was a big fan of seminal newspaper cartoon Krazy Kat, which played with language and form and archetypes beautifully. Picasso was another admirer. But yay, at least you read.
— Adrian Reynolds (@writeradrian) April 5, 2019
Let’s not acknowledge the complicated nature of the intersection of image and word. Cross-genre literacy and multi-modal communication is definitely the whizz-bang lazy man’s literature. You bet. pic.twitter.com/XFX2lFJU5t
— Angry.Sad.Motivated. (@nlmtys) April 4, 2019
Go on then. pic.twitter.com/kXoWxc3Pb1
— eight bit (@undead8bit) April 5, 2019
— alec (@aeppeamaeppea) April 5, 2019
yeah man that cartoon was epic https://t.co/QcLtYmN3fI
— Adrian Bott (@Cavalorn) April 5, 2019
you could learn something from graphic novels. https://t.co/yrf3bJSwTN
— Morlock, Acolyte of Jack Frost (@PressStartLock) April 5, 2019
I get you are trolling, but, if you like, you could subscribe to my newsletter about how how you are wrong. “Ulysses” is pictureless comics. You’re welcome!https://t.co/AXxGxdtwkJ pic.twitter.com/KoSHlJ8lr8
— John Holbo (@jholbo1) April 5, 2019
And he replied to a few, too.
Imagine thinking that it makes you sound smart to declare yourself uninterested in *an entire art form* you admit complete unfamiliarity with. https://t.co/gmXCMQRT5B
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) April 4, 2019
It makes me sound like I know my limits and preferences. https://t.co/hlKAUpWCXW
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 4, 2019
Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry I’m such an asshole. Go enjoy what you like. I enjoy prose. I have to go take a picture of a horse now. So long.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 4, 2019
My mentions are filling up with recommended graphic novels if anybody’s interested. They all sound great, if that’s your thing.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 4, 2019
I also hate Pop Music.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
Oh, and another thing I don’t like: pets. ‘Ulysses’ is much better than pet ownership (to me). I’ve owned four copies of ‘Ulysses’ and zero pets.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
Didn’t put quotes around them though, Christian…
Nobody is obligated to read anything, and knowing your own preferences is great.
It’s your use of scare quotes that is rather mean to people who enjoy making and consuming comics.
— María Cristina (@MeowyCristina) 5 April 2019
That’s a good point. Square quotes cut like knives. https://t.co/dy0z0WyoHC
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
But this didn’t help
Scientists find correlation between high level of sanctimonious defensiveness and people who like looking at simplistic maudlin picture narratives.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
Neither did this.
Flann O’Brien and Samuel Beckett are also better than graphic novels.
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
I’m mean – they’re actual people. That’s an even more unfair comparison.
Gotta hand it to the graphic novel people, they’ve got great spirit!
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
But it turned out that Christian was going to read a comic book…
Then you’re depriving yourself of a vibrant, original, vital form of storytelling.
Think I’m exaggerating? I challenge you to read my favourite graphic novel and see what you think:
“The Compleat Moonshadow”, written by @JMDeMatteis and illustrated by Jon J. Muth.
— Autumnshroud (@Autumnshroud) April 5, 2019
Challenge accepted! https://t.co/U8pON5M4Vx
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
Damn, it had to be that one. I’d have gone with Al Davison‘s Minotaur’s Tale. It works, honest.
But there was a celebrity in the house.
What about in WATCHMEN when Silk Spectre kisses Owl-man under the Moorish wall and thinks well as well him as another and Rorschach’s heart is going like mad and hrrm he said hrrm he will Hrrm https://t.co/O9dIZN0tcY
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) April 5, 2019
And it was a reply to him…
@xlorentzen Many classics have been transformed into graphic novels and as a result, people who had trouble learning to read due to certain learning disabilities have blossomed into avid readers and even furthered their educations thanks to them. #DontJudge
— PFDSpitfire (@ErinPFDSpitfire) April 5, 2019
That got a concession from Christian,
This guy has a point. https://t.co/ARqSZbuchs
— Christian Lorentzen (@xlorentzen) April 5, 2019
Though probably not one that would contradict his original point…
Good luck with Moonshadow, Christian. It’s getting a nice new hardcover any day now. But you know, if you were still minded, I’d recommend trying Longshot Comics by Shane Simmons. It’s got hardly any pictures at all… and the first two volumes are free on Kindle Unlimited.
The post Would You Read Ulysses Over and Over Than Ever ‘Read’ a Graphic ‘Novel’? appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.
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