Pride and Prejudice: the emoticon adaptation

On David Foster Wallace’s “scare quotes,” and the joys of editing him.

An essay on the quiet art of cartooning, which sounds quite a lot like the quiet art of writing fiction. Which I guess, technically, is the same thing. Via The Rumpus.

What contemporary literature will people still be reading a century from now?

Pride and Prejudice, as written in emoticons, via Booksquare.

Books are America’s fourth form of entertainment, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Even better news: there were more than four items on that list.

Why the novel will never die.

Top 10 literary feuds of the aughts.

The literary salon is back!

A great list of books on writing over at Pimp My Novel.

Our pals at The Writers’ Workshop want you to know about their upcoming Festival of Writing in the UK, which will be chock full of talks, workshops, courses & more. More details on their website.

Aaaand to last you until your holiday break (which should be very soon, no?):

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“Excerpts From My Mother’s Editorial Notes on My Letters to Santa, 1987-2000″

by Jen Statsky

1987

Jen,

I think there’s some good stuff here. It’s too bad that it’s buried under a pile of holiday clichés and trite generalizations. You’ve been a “good girl?” What is the reader supposed to gather from that? Is that the author’s subjective opinion about her behavior over the past twelve months, or rather a more objective assessment based on society’s standards of what qualifies as a “good girl?” A little clarification would go a long way and most likely garner better results for what the author is trying to get, which, at the most superficial of levels, is apparently a Teddy Ruxpin doll.

With love,
Mom

PS. All your “J’s” are backwards.

Read years 1988-2000 on McSweeney’s.