Janice Harayda
"Anna Karenina" might get an "F" if submitted in a writing class today. A gifted critic explains why:
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https://medium.com/p/d28d524428f6
Why ‘Anna Karenina’ Might Get An ‘F’ In Today’s Writing Classes

Anna Karenina is probably the most popular Russian novel in America. It has the best-known first line: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” And it’s the…

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May 12, 2023 at 5:42pmWeb
Show threadCharlotte M. FreemanMay 13, 2023
@janiceharayda Those aren't bad points, but no decent creative writing instructor gives *anyone* an F.
More germane is how difficult it can be to get a book published outside of the current trends. We have this convo in my house all the time about the Smiley books. They're probably LeCarre's only real literary works, and they're so murky no one would publish them today.
Show threadJanice HaraydaMay 13, 2023
@cmf406 "No decent creative writing instructive gives 'anyone' and F": You're probably right, unless plagiarism is involved. But I'd argue that that's part of was wrong with some of those programs: Everyone gets a trophy. You might be right about the Smiley books too. They're my favorites by le Carre.
Show threadCharlotte M. FreemanMay 13, 2023
@janiceharayda "Everyone gets a trophy"? It sounds like you're unfamiliar with the workshop process, and the really hard work most students put into discovering what their art is going to be. While there's much to be improved upon in most CW programs, they're hardly circles of backslappers.
Show threadJanice HaraydaMay 14, 2023
@cmf406 No, very familiar with it. I've taught writing at two major universities where others and used it. But in my experience, some teachers do turn turn workshops into circles of backslappers by urging students to focus on positive things or "what works" when egregious things don't work (just as other teachers allow too many unkind comments). Again in my exp., much depends on the teacher.
Show threadCharlotte M. FreemanMay 14, 2023
@janiceharayda So your point is? Workshops ruin writers?
Show threadQueen of AnxietyMay 13, 2023
@janiceharayda Eh, the teacher would probably just tell him to give it a different title. It’s not really Anna’s story any more than it’s Levin’s. Could be my personal bias, as I detested Anna but liked Levin a lot.
Show threadJanice HaraydaMay 13, 2023
@queenofnewyork Good point. And proper nouns as titles go in and out fashion. Tolstoy would have to submit the novel at a moment when that passed muster.
Show threadRoseMay 14, 2023
@janiceharayda @donmelton Anna not being introduced right at the beginning is an interesting point. I loved reading that book, and looking back I remember being more focused on Oblansky’s family’s storyline or on Levin and Kitty’s than on Anna’s. I wonder if that late introduction to her influenced that? It’s been almost 20 years since I read it, I should probably give it a reread 😅
Show threadJanice HaraydaMay 14, 2023
@rose @donmelton An interesting question. Thanks for raising it. I, too, was more interested in Levin and Kitty at first. And while I've reread "War and Peace" and other work by Tolstoy, I haven't had a strong desire to reread "Anna Karenina." I've assumed that it's because it ends tragically when we live amid so much of tragedy, but the structure may play a role, too.