Comments on: Too Much Information http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information Children's Book Authors and Illustrators Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:56:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: debbie http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information/comment-page-1#comment-37 debbie Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:19:37 +0000 http://writeupouralley.com/?p=1576#comment-37 Exactly my thoughts, Kate! Exactly my thoughts, Kate!

]]> By: Kate Duke http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information/comment-page-1#comment-36 Kate Duke Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:16:17 +0000 http://writeupouralley.com/?p=1576#comment-36 I was a little too old for Wild Things when it came out -- it was my younger brother's book, so of course having moved on to chapter books, I disdained to read it. But when I read it later as a grownup and hopeful-children's-writer, I thought what made it such an astonishing creation was its restraint: how much information the very brief text deliberately leaves out. Sendak let Max's adventures, emotional and visual, remain wide-open for any child to fit him or herself into. I wonder if the movie will fill in so many blanks that the story loses its universality. The movie monsters look pretty amazing, though! It would be worth seeing it just to gape at them and wonder how it was done. I was a little too old for Wild Things when it came out — it was my younger brother’s book, so of course having moved on to chapter books, I disdained to read it. But when I read it later as a grownup and hopeful-children’s-writer, I thought what made it such an astonishing creation was its restraint: how much information the very brief text deliberately leaves out. Sendak let Max’s adventures, emotional and visual, remain wide-open for any child to fit him or herself into. I wonder if the movie will fill in so many blanks that the story loses its universality.
The movie monsters look pretty amazing, though! It would be worth seeing it just to gape at them and wonder how it was done.

]]> By: debbie http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information/comment-page-1#comment-27 debbie Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:42:10 +0000 http://writeupouralley.com/?p=1576#comment-27 Oh, I'm sure I'll see the movie. Visually, it looks like it will be stunning. And actually, Maurice Sendak has said himself that it does keep the spirit of his book (and I think Eggers wrote the screenplay). Oh, I’m sure I’ll see the movie. Visually, it looks like it will be stunning. And actually, Maurice Sendak has said himself that it does keep the spirit of his book (and I think Eggers wrote the screenplay).

]]> By: alice http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information/comment-page-1#comment-26 alice Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:31:16 +0000 http://writeupouralley.com/?p=1576#comment-26 Hi Martha B. Great to see you here. Like Debbie, I couldn't get past the first page of the Eggers version. But what doesn't work on paper might work on film -- so long as the film stays with the spirit of the book. Which really isn't about all the bad things that happened to Max, but what being a wild thing means, even when bad things happen. So I'm willing to suspend judgment, but I'll probably rely heavily on reviews and word-of-mouth before I go see the movie. I kind of liked the trailer since it had so many wild things in it -- but I've long ago learned to distrust trailers. And now that Martha's pointed it out, the didacticism is cloying. . . Hi Martha B. Great to see you here.

Like Debbie, I couldn’t get past the first page of the Eggers version. But what doesn’t work on paper might work on film — so long as the film stays with the spirit of the book. Which really isn’t about all the bad things that happened to Max, but what being a wild thing means, even when bad things happen. So I’m willing to suspend judgment, but I’ll probably rely heavily on reviews and word-of-mouth before I go see the movie.

I kind of liked the trailer since it had so many wild things in it — but I’ve long ago learned to distrust trailers. And now that Martha’s pointed it out, the didacticism is cloying. . .

]]> By: Martha B~ http://writeupouralley.com/books/too-much-information/comment-page-1#comment-25 Martha B~ Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:22:56 +0000 http://writeupouralley.com/?p=1576#comment-25 Hey, funny finding you all here! I'm not sure what I think about the movie, the didactic U2-esque trailer music put me off before I could give the story much of a chance. Stay tuned, there's more to come....http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/08/dave-eggers-on-wild-things.html Martha B~ Hey, funny finding you all here!

I’m not sure what I think about the movie, the didactic U2-esque trailer music put me off before I could give the story much of a chance.

Stay tuned, there’s more to come….http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2009/08/dave-eggers-on-wild-things.html

Martha B~

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