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• Saturday, August 16, 2008 07:23 AM

  @prytania

  So, yeah: Justin took a grad-studentish shortcut that, as a grad student, he ought to avoid if he intends to write for careful readers.

  That was fascinating. I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. Lucky for me, niether do you, so we're even!

  Almost right about Vonnegut, but he was never "in a British POW camp". I'd venture to say he was never held captive by the British at all. The scene you mention is from when he was in a German POW camp along with British soldiers who were also POWS, and it's one of my favorites ever. I loved the way he just injected himself, without artifice.

  What any of this has to do with this article escapes me though. Entirely. The part where the author of this article said "every word written about this character based on this real person therefore describes this real person without variation" escaped me also. That's my only guess at what you might be trying to critique, which is fine except that it doesn't exist.

  Oh and Vonnegut? He was most definitely in Dresden. I'm sorry to report that not knowing this most basic bit of background would tend to impeach that arrogant sense of authority about his work you're trying to project. Just a bit.

  By the way, you cited "Bill E." You might have looked at the rest of my screen name.

  Sorry, but I'll be honest. I'm far more impressed with the graduate student than I am with the professor who's sneering at him. So far anyway.

  —Bill E Pilgrim Read Bill E Pilgrim's other letters
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