Sentences
(after Darcie Wilder)
(Darcie)
A selection of sentences I’ve enjoyed in the last 2-3 weeks:
“I never asked to live in this world, but here we are.” — Jim Behrle on power outlets and discount bus travel between New York and Boston. Jim is a fine, fine writer and every time I learn something new and disgusting (especially tech related, see especially: enshittification) my rat brain thinks: i never asked to live in this world, but here we are and then it thinks: Jim!! And then every 20th time I think Jim!! I reread this piece. A true classic, enduring, for the ages.
“It’s not something you can just spread around like peanut butter.” — some WSJ source on generative AI. They’re right!! (i work in tech now) (well tech-adjacent) (joke about artificial unintelligence, to be completed by reader)
“It was nice that at least one person had had a clear sense of what was going on here.” — The Wych Elm, Tana French. The Wych Elm is overpadded by about 120 pages (subsentence: Patricia Lockwood on David Foster Wallace, see #4), and French’s general style is not trimmed back or compact, so when she does choose to go that way, after pages and pages of metaphors about clouded glass and neat lines (never trust them) and the dark corroded hinges between before and after, it lands well. Is it worth the extra carryon baggage fee, though? Discuss in workshop.
“My main sense memory is of it digging into my pussy when I propped it on my lap; one can only think this was by design.” — this piece (Patricia Lockwood on David Foster Wallace) is full of Sentences, and this sentence seemed executed (perfectly) to generate chattering from applicable classes, but the best one is actually “You don’t expect the author of ‘This Is Water’ to stalk someone for four years.” No, the best one is actually “What we are asking is whether we can still experience it1 without becoming these men.”
I think the answer varies from hideous man to hideous man, but in the case of Wallace, everyone who writes about him ends up sounding recognizably like his writing in the resulting piece, and I don’t believe it’s necessarily intentional. Take from that only what you need. Poets! they’re good at sentences.
“i’m thankful I have a dad who is in drag shows and not a dad who wants to ban them!” — Justin Wolfe2, July 16 and always.
Until next time,
Ruth
(their art)
Justin: $15K
Helloooooooo!!!! We've missed you.