Reading "Carrie"

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Rrty

Well-Known Member
Jun 4, 2007
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4,588
Well, not a true read at the moment, but, although I've read parts of Carrie before, I never properly absorbed it in total, and I am now reading -- hope this is the right application of the following term -- the epistolary elements.

I've said before I am taking a break from King, and that remains, but I am itching to read at least some stuff, so I am looking at Carrie.

I am focusing on the document portions, the book excerpts, newspaper clippings, etc. In many ways, these are the fun parts of the tome.

But obviously I do glance at the prose parts too. And I'm wondering if others might agree: It would be cool if King experimented with shorter novels these days, like he did when he wrote this book.

Not every long novel can support its concept the way It did. Sometimes briefer narratives can work, too.

And it's funny, I'm a big fan of the found-footage genre in movies. Many people despise that genre, but I like it. For some reason, I find the epistolary (?) sections of Carrie intriguing and genuinely entertaining. The entire story could almost be related in that manner and successfully convey a higher level of satisfaction than of which the novel as we know it is capable.
 

rudiroo

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2008
474
1,898
London, England
Epistolary narratives have a long and distinguished history - from les liaisons dangereuses (1782) to Bridget Jones' Diary (1986).
Both of these rocked up as films (Dangerous Liaisons, loved it, loved it).

I'm so glad you can truly enjoy Carrie for what it is, rather than superimposing your own experiences on it, like me.
Being bullied at school will never completely leave me (this from a 53-year-old woman), so I always feel compelled to step up (ho, ho, roll up, more like) to the plate, if I see someone being given a hard time.
 
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