Thesis 1: Through the otherwise unimportant writing in his novels C.D. Payne is able to develop his characters in a very thorough and unique manner.
Thesis 2: C.D. Payne's style of writing is unique in the sense that he not only writes to tell a story and develop a character but his writing has a completely different effect on his audience.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Post #6
Since my last thesis post I have finished my second book in the Youth in Revolt series. I enjoy these novels very much so it is not difficult for me to read them at all. Once I start it is very hard for me to even put the book down. In the second book Nick gets a scare and runs away from his "home" because he thinks the FBI caught a scent of his trail. He escapes to LA where he makes some friends and ends up getting a job working for a very rich family on their vacation RV. He travels to Mexico and gets plastic surgery which makes him look like the French actor jean-Paul Belmondo which is Sheeni's (Nick's love interest) favorite actor.
Post #5
As of now it is difficult for me to notice a surprising pattern among the first and second novel. Both novels have the same voice and styles but it is not surprising or worthy of a thesis because they are in the same series. My third book however is going to be a different novel by the same author so as soon as I start reading that I should be able to uncover some thesis-worthy material.
American Author Blog 4
It is hard for me to find very much use of symbolism in any of the books by C.D. Payne. That isn't to say that there isn't any symbolism in the novels I am just unable to really find it. As I mentioned in earlier posts Mr. Payne uses a stylistic type of writing which I like to call the use of big words. He uses large words and complex sentences to not only enhance his characters but make the reader feel that his writing is better than they are thus adding an attitude to his novel. Two other wonderful literary styles that Mr. Payne uses, which I personally love, are sarcasm and cynicism. Take this quote for example, it displays both. "Another fun-filled Sunday in Marin with Dad and Lacey. One of the tragic consequences of divorce is that the kids are legally obligated by the courts to spend a fixed amount of time with their dads." In this quote the sentence "Another fun-filled day in Marin with Dad..." shows sarcasm and the rest of the quote is a perfect example of the characters cynical tone.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
American Author Blog 3
Over winter break I began to read my second American Author book titled Revolting Youth: The Further Journals of Nick Twisp. I have read about one fourth of the book so far and have therefore continued upon the dark path of my addiction to C.D. Payne's series.
Book 2 picked up exactly where Book 1 left off. Nick Twisp is disguised as a girl living alone in Ukiah. He has finally been reunited with his long-lost love Sheeni and is no longer a dreaded virgin. We have found out the Nick's idea for a watch designed for kids has taken off and he has become instantly rich.
Book 2 picked up exactly where Book 1 left off. Nick Twisp is disguised as a girl living alone in Ukiah. He has finally been reunited with his long-lost love Sheeni and is no longer a dreaded virgin. We have found out the Nick's idea for a watch designed for kids has taken off and he has become instantly rich.
American Author Blog 2
I am going to be as unoriginal as I possibly can and post the first page of Youth in Revolt as my favorite segment. The truth is that I no longer have this book in my possession and therefore had to resort to browsing the internet until I found a sample of the book on the beloved Amazon.com. That being said I feel that it is important to mention that this is a very good excerpt from the novel and does quite a good job of foreshadowing a recurring theme. With no further ado, here is page one of the Journals of Nick Twisp.
"The next thing you should know about me is that I am obsessed with sex. When I close my eyes, ranks of creamy thighs slowly part like some X-rated Busby Berkeley extravaganza. Lately I have become morbidly aware of my penis. Once a remote region accessed indifferently for businesslike micturition, it has developed -- seemingly overnight -- into a gaudy Las Vegas of the body, complete with pulsing neon, star-studded floor shows, exotic animal acts, and throngs of drunken conventioneers perpetually on the prowl for depraved thrills. I walk about in a state of obsessive expectancy, ever conscious of an urgent clamor rising from my tumescent loins. Any stimulus can trigger the show -- a rhythmic rumble from the radiator, the word 'titular' in a newspaper editorial, even the smell of the old vinyl in Mr. Ferguson's Toyota" (page 1).
C.D. Payne has a very unique writing style, in his literary world there is no such thing as being "politically correct" or "keeping it PG", Mr. Payne writes what he wants to write in the way that he feels will get the most out of his audience, whether that "most" is a wince or a chuckle is the luck of the draw. Mr. Payne also uses "big words" constantly. In any other novel following the life of a teenager the reader would not expect to come across phrases such as "tumescent loins" or "businesslike micturition". Because C.D. Payne has created a character who uses such resounding language he has created instantly (on the first page) a tone that he can use throughout the novel.
Weekly Reading Update:
Finished with Book 1, yet to start book two. In possession of book 2 which is titled appropriately Revolting Youth: The Further Journals of Nick Twisp.
"The next thing you should know about me is that I am obsessed with sex. When I close my eyes, ranks of creamy thighs slowly part like some X-rated Busby Berkeley extravaganza. Lately I have become morbidly aware of my penis. Once a remote region accessed indifferently for businesslike micturition, it has developed -- seemingly overnight -- into a gaudy Las Vegas of the body, complete with pulsing neon, star-studded floor shows, exotic animal acts, and throngs of drunken conventioneers perpetually on the prowl for depraved thrills. I walk about in a state of obsessive expectancy, ever conscious of an urgent clamor rising from my tumescent loins. Any stimulus can trigger the show -- a rhythmic rumble from the radiator, the word 'titular' in a newspaper editorial, even the smell of the old vinyl in Mr. Ferguson's Toyota" (page 1).
C.D. Payne has a very unique writing style, in his literary world there is no such thing as being "politically correct" or "keeping it PG", Mr. Payne writes what he wants to write in the way that he feels will get the most out of his audience, whether that "most" is a wince or a chuckle is the luck of the draw. Mr. Payne also uses "big words" constantly. In any other novel following the life of a teenager the reader would not expect to come across phrases such as "tumescent loins" or "businesslike micturition". Because C.D. Payne has created a character who uses such resounding language he has created instantly (on the first page) a tone that he can use throughout the novel.
Weekly Reading Update:
Finished with Book 1, yet to start book two. In possession of book 2 which is titled appropriately Revolting Youth: The Further Journals of Nick Twisp.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
American Author Project Blog 1
My American Author Proposal:
For my American Author paper I would like to further investigate and study the works of the American author C.D. Payne. C.D. Payne is the critically acclaimed author of the underground dark-humor series The Adventures of Nick Twisp as well as other works not in the series. The first novel in the series is titled Youth in Revolt and this is where I am proposing to start.
It is a sad fact for me to admit, but I don’t read for entertainment very often. This could be because I do not have much free time but the more likely explanation is that my generation is drawn more towards visual media such as movies and the Internet instead of towards literature. This being said, it is a rare occurrence that I sit down and read a book without giving up on it after the first chapter or deciding it is not for me. This simply, is what draws me to C.D. Payne as an author, he is able to keep my attention and cause me to almost immediately love reading his stories.
When I first head about C.D. Payne his debut novel Youth in Revolt was being recommended to me by an adult who is a very important figure in my life. He encouraged me to sit down and read the first few pages out loud to him (he had the book with him) to see how I liked it. In a lot of fictional novels the first few pages are dedicated to introducing the reader to the protagonist. This fact was true for Youth in Revolt, however, unlike a lot of other fictional novels I immediately liked the main character. Nick Twisp is a fourteen-year-old boy who throughout the novel, which is written as his journal, transforms from a brown-nose honor student to a modern youth in revolt.
I have to admit; probably the one thing that really drew me to the book is the connection that I feel with Nick Twisp. He’s young, he’s witty, he knows what he wants and how to get it, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. Not only is the main protagonist of Youth in Revolt an “awesome” character but the way C.D. Payne writes, quite simply, makes me happy. His tone throughout the novel is one that I especially can relate to, dry, sarcastic, and subtly humorous.
For my American Author paper I propose reading two of the novels in the Nick Twisp series and one of C.D. Payne’s independent novels. The titles of the books that I propose reading are Youth in Revolt, Revolting Youth: The Further Journals of Nick Twisp, and either Frisco Pigeon Mamba or Civic Beauties.
For my American Author paper I would like to further investigate and study the works of the American author C.D. Payne. C.D. Payne is the critically acclaimed author of the underground dark-humor series The Adventures of Nick Twisp as well as other works not in the series. The first novel in the series is titled Youth in Revolt and this is where I am proposing to start.
It is a sad fact for me to admit, but I don’t read for entertainment very often. This could be because I do not have much free time but the more likely explanation is that my generation is drawn more towards visual media such as movies and the Internet instead of towards literature. This being said, it is a rare occurrence that I sit down and read a book without giving up on it after the first chapter or deciding it is not for me. This simply, is what draws me to C.D. Payne as an author, he is able to keep my attention and cause me to almost immediately love reading his stories.
When I first head about C.D. Payne his debut novel Youth in Revolt was being recommended to me by an adult who is a very important figure in my life. He encouraged me to sit down and read the first few pages out loud to him (he had the book with him) to see how I liked it. In a lot of fictional novels the first few pages are dedicated to introducing the reader to the protagonist. This fact was true for Youth in Revolt, however, unlike a lot of other fictional novels I immediately liked the main character. Nick Twisp is a fourteen-year-old boy who throughout the novel, which is written as his journal, transforms from a brown-nose honor student to a modern youth in revolt.
I have to admit; probably the one thing that really drew me to the book is the connection that I feel with Nick Twisp. He’s young, he’s witty, he knows what he wants and how to get it, and he doesn’t take no for an answer. Not only is the main protagonist of Youth in Revolt an “awesome” character but the way C.D. Payne writes, quite simply, makes me happy. His tone throughout the novel is one that I especially can relate to, dry, sarcastic, and subtly humorous.
For my American Author paper I propose reading two of the novels in the Nick Twisp series and one of C.D. Payne’s independent novels. The titles of the books that I propose reading are Youth in Revolt, Revolting Youth: The Further Journals of Nick Twisp, and either Frisco Pigeon Mamba or Civic Beauties.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)