FOFC Literature Draft - Picks Thread

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Lathum

waste of Poe

+1

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by cartman

"Tell-Tale Heart", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum" all could be solid choices for this list. However, I'm going to go with:

The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe

Interesting. Why that and not one of the others you listed?

[Buccaneer]

Yeah, I think many people at least have heard of the Raven or Pit or Usher since they have been used in popular culture at one time or another.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by sabotai

A Poem?

I think A Christmas Carol is just a bit too long to be considered a "short story" is all.

It's a novella. It rides the line between short story and novel. I leaned toward the fact it is most commonly read as a short story, and in comparison to most of Dickens' other works, which were to put it lightly somewhat voluminous, it is short indeed.

Once again, I admit I am pushing the category limits to maximise my choices and have, IMO, a much more profound and compelling list.

It will be the judgment of the voters if I have stretched that credibility too far.

I have now selected arguable category "stretches" for all three of my choices thus far.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by sabotai

A Poem?

I think A Christmas Carol is just a bit too long to be considered a "short story" is all.

Nevermind. I take back what I said.

[cartman]

I went with Cask because it represented a departure from standard crime stories. The narrator is the killer, but there never was an investigation. You have to try and deduce a motive yourself, and the whole time reading the story, you aren't sure if he is insane and if he is actually going to go through with his plan.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Lathum

waste of Poe

I disagree, although I can definitely see where you are coming from. There are far better known works by Poe.

That said, the Cask of Amontillado is, IMO, a personally representative work by Poe. Anyone who has read Poe and knows his life story, you know there was a bit of darkness to his soul and it was reflected in his writing. I'm not going to say he was evil, just very troubled. He saw too clearly the evils of the world around him, had the ability and talent to write about it eloquently and the lack of control to "pull back."

IMO, the Cask of Amontillado contains one of the most heinous individual acts, sealing someone behind a brick wall, like burying them alive. I can think of few more horrifying and long drawn out ways to die. So the Cask, IMO, is amazing.

Poe (if you can't tell) is one of my favorite authors, and I debated all weekend whether I would select the Raven for Poem or The Tell-Tale Heart for Short Story or some of the other selections. I was certain that in making the choices I did, I would end up foregoing Poe. I didn't expect it to be the very next pick, though, cartman.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Nevermind. I take back what I said.

About the poem part, right? I still nailed it as Short Story?

[MrDNA]

I think Cask is probably my favorite Poe work, esentially for the reasons Cartman argues. The other ones listed all seem a little too popular, although it does seem strange to frame that as a drawback.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by MrDNA

I think Cask is probably my favorite Poe work, esentially for the reasons Cartman argues. The other ones listed all seem a little too popular, although it does seem strange to frame that as a drawback.

Not in a popularity contest.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Not in a popularity contest.

exactly.

IMO the point of these drafts is to appeal to the masses. If you hit a point where you say screw it, I am in this for myself I think you aren't participating in the true spirt.

Thats not to say you shouldn't pick your own favorites, but when it is so obviously a wrong pick then thats what I am talking about

[Chief Rum]

In that respect, yes, I agree. I have already passed up favorites to go with more well-known selections. For instance, A Christmas Carol is not my favorite Dickens work, and I don't read the Bible every day.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by MrDNA

I think Cask is probably my favorite Poe work, esentially for the reasons Cartman argues. The other ones listed all seem a little too popular, although it does seem strange to frame that as a drawback.

The Masque of the Red Death is my favorite. Of course, the Simpson-ized version of The Raven is sweet

[cartman]

Is "Cask" really not that well known? I really thought is was a tossup choosing between the short stories I listed. As I mentioned in my post, I thought about "The Raven", but as a poem I don't think it was that strong a pick. So I went to the short stories.

As I thought about it, Tell-Tale Heart, Fall of the House of Usher, and Pit and Pendulum seemed a little formulaic. They all contained someone going crazy for different reasons. Tell-Tale Heart, the guy is convinced that he hears the still beating heart of the person he dismembered, in Fall the guy dies of his own terror, and in Pit and the Pendulum the guy is terrified of the hole in the middle of room and blade swinging above him, and his brain is mush, more than likely as a result of the torture of the Spanish Inquisition.

But in Cask, the narrator calmly recants the whole story many years later, and seems to be completely rational, even though what he did was clearly the work of a madman. He feels his actions were warranted to right a wrong done to him by (not so) Fortunato. This was the inspiration for other literary madmen, who I won't name in case someone is planning on choosing one of these titles later on. To me, these reasons warranted this pick over the other titles.

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

st.cronin sent me a list.. give me a few moments

I guess we must have cleared out cronin's list.

[Maple Leafs]

I'm not sure it's a great fit in the sci-fi category, but getting 1984 this late is a steal.

[ThunderingHERD]

This draft sucks. It's like everybody is picking punters on the first day.

[Chief Rum]

Not sure I wouldn't have selected Animal Farm instead. Certainly not for scifi, of course (but from amongst Orwell's works).

[Chief Rum]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

This draft sucks. It's like everybody is picking punters on the first day.

Are you saying we're picking the bit players when there are star RBs available?

[Izulde]

FWIW, I considered taking Cask back in Round 2, so I think the pick was a solid one.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

I guess we must have cleared out cronin's list.

I posted cronin's pick?

[lordscarlet]

oh.. he's up again.. give me 1 second

[lordscarlet]

At 3.3 st.cronin takes:

3.3 Dune, Frank Herbert, Series

[Chief Rum]

Of course, this is, like the Foundation series, one of those seminal scifi picks, and on that level, excellent choice.

Still, he placed it in series, which brings the crap in at the back end of the series. Not as impressive.

I honestly would have picked Dune itself and put it in scifi/fantasy, rather than selecting the whole series.

[Greyroofoo]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

At 3.3 st.cronin takes:

3.3 Dune, Frank Herbert, Series

Dune is probably my favorite book, if only the sequels were as nearly as good.

[Calis]

Yeah I think Dune would be an extremely solid pick as a Sci Fi/Fantasy book, but as a series I think it's a poor choice.

I'll also add that I think Cask is a very solid pick for a Poe work. I don't think it's a waste at all.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

At 3.3 st.cronin takes:

3.3 Dune, Frank Herbert, Series

darn. I was hoping for that as a sci-fi sleeper

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Of course, this is, like the Foundation series, one of those seminal scifi picks, and on that level, excellent choice.

Still, he placed it in series, which brings the crap in at the back end of the series. Not as impressive.

I honestly would have picked Dune itself and put it in scifi/fantasy, rather than selecting the whole series.

that was my plan.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by cartman

Is "Cask" really not that well known? I really thought is was a tossup choosing between the short stories I listed. As I mentioned in my post, I thought about "The Raven", but as a poem I don't think it was that strong a pick. So I went to the short stories.

I'm probably one of the least 'well read' people following this thread, and I think your selection w/ Poe was a very solid one, not a waste at all IMO.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Chief Rum

Still, he placed it in series, which brings the crap in at the back end of the series. Not as impressive.

I have not read the series (it's on my to-do list), but I was under the impression that the books authored by Frank Herbert were pretty solid, and that the crap ones are the ones other people have written.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I have not read the series (it's on my to-do list), but I was under the impression that the books authored by Frank Herbert were pretty solid, and that the crap ones are the ones other people have written.

the first 2 (maybe 3) books were solid, the rest are distinctly "meh." Even the ones written by Frank.

[Groundhog]

IMO, the first one is an amazing book and one of my favourites, but even the second book is a major step downwards. I didn't finish the 3rd book, and haven't touched the others.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

the first 2 (maybe 3) books were solid, the rest are distinctly "meh." Even the ones written by Frank.

Ah. I guess in that case it's good that I only have the first 3 sitting on my bookshelf. Unless I really like the 3rd one, I can just stop after that.

[Maple Leafs]

Fiction - 1.4 Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
Single Short Story
Poem
Fantasy/Science Fiction - 3.4 War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells
Series
Sport Related
Children's
Non-Fiction
Biography/Autobiography
History - 2.7 The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

[DaddyTorgo]

nice one maple...that takes care of H.G. Wells just when I was thinking of something there...

[DaddyTorgo]

I need to take a bit with this pick...

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by cartman

For my next pick, I'm going to take a work from one of the great American authors. Edgar Allan Poe released many great works, and it was difficult to chose only one. "The Raven" would be a worthy choice for poem, but I felt that I needed to choose one of his short stories. "Tell-Tale Heart", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum" all could be solid choices for this list. However, I'm going to go with:

The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe

cartman's list:

1. Fiction
2. Single Short Story - 3.2 The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allan Poe
3. Poem
4. Fantasy/Science Fiction - 2.9 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
5. Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) - 1.2: The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), J.R.R. Tolkein
6. Sport Related
7. Children's
8. Non-Fiction
9. Biography/Autobiography
10. History

See Axxon, I told you other people would make other "wtf?" picks to balance yours out.

[Warhammer]

My only issue with the Poe pick is when it was. I was actually considering using that or the Tell-Tale Heart later.

[Warhammer]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

darn. I was hoping for that as a sci-fi sleeper

Nah, Dune was going to be my pick this round, but I was going to use it strictly as a Sci-Fi pick.

[Crim]

Originally Posted by wade moore

See Axxon, I told you other people would make other "wtf?" picks to balance yours out.

Actually, I'd like to go on record as echoing some of the recent love for the pick. Cask is my favorite Poe work by quite a stretch. The narrative is so composed, at least on the surface, and so matter-of-fact as the build up and execution of the crime unfold... shudder. I love that Fortunato's supposed insult is never revealed. A horrible story, in a good way!

[Crim]

And re: Dune series, they drop off in quality precipitiously after the original. Dune itself is so good though, and the universe of the books so expansive and well fleshed out, that I got through Children and God Emperor with quite a bit of enjoyment, as I recall (this was many years ago). I attempted the next two and couldn't close the deal, though. Awful.

[Crim]

Erm, I think I mistepped. Children was II, and Messiah III, and God Emperor Iv, right? Anyhoo, at some point it devolved into dreck at the midpoint of book IV, whatever the title was.

[DaddyTorgo]

1. Fiction
2. Single Short Story
3. Poem
4. Fantasy/Science Fiction
5. Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) 1.5 The Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov
6. Sport Related
7. Children's 3.5 Children's and Household Tales (1857 - 211 stories) by The Brothers Grimm
8. Non-Fiction
9. Biography/Autobiography 2.6 Autobiographical Notes, Albert Einstein
10. History

[Izulde]

I was considering Grimm's Fairy Tales myself. Great selection.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Crim

Erm, I think I mistepped. Children was II, and Messiah III, and God Emperor Iv, right? Anyhoo, at some point it devolved into dreck at the midpoint of book IV, whatever the title was.

Messiah is 2 and Children is 3. So I guess that's confirmation to just stop after Children.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Izulde

Great selection.

+1

I was thinking one of the fairy tales would be good for Short Story, but I think it actually works better in Children's.

[Buccaneer]

Agree.

[DaddyTorgo]

YAY for people liking my pick

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

My only issue with the Poe pick is when it was. I was actually considering using that or the Tell-Tale Heart later.

Since I don't pick again until late 4th round, I didn't think he would still be on the board by then.

It seems my pick is either a love it or hate it pick.

[NoMyths]

Fiction
Single Short Story
Poem: 2.6 - The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri
Fantasy/Science Fiction
Series (A set of books continuing the same story and intended to be read sequentially) 3.5 - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
Sport Related
Children's
Non-Fiction: 1.5 - On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin
Biography/Autobiography
History

I can't be alone in thinking this series of books one of the most enjoyable. And after all, it does provide the answer to life, the universe and everything.

From Wiki:
References to the series can be seen on websites, within TV and radio programmes, songs, and in console and computer games. Examples include borrowing Adams's characters' names, or references to the number 42, or other catchphrases, or even reusing "The Hitchhiker's Guide to ..." to title other books and articles (which Adams himself had borrowed from Ken Welsh's Hitch-hiker's Guide to Europe). Hitchhiker's references have also appeared in several series and episodes of another famous British science fiction series with which Adams was once affiliated: Doctor Who. The online Babel Fish translation service was also named in honour of a fictional creature that Adams created for the Hitchhiker's series. The 1980s British Pop band Level 42 attribute their name to the ultimate answer, while the rock group Radiohead named a hit single after Marvin the paranoid android. The instant message program, Trillian, is also named after a lead Hitchhiker's character. Internet search engine Google pays tribute by offering "42" as the answer to the search criteria "What is the answer to life the universe and everything?" In the Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends episode, "Bus the Two of Us," Bloo picks up a hitchhiker holding a sign reading "Magrathea". Adams may have popularized the modern usage of the prefix "mega" to simply mean "great" (which is the meaning of the original Greek). Before Hitchhiker's, which used terms such as "mega-stupid" and "megadonkey", the prefix "mega" was almost exclusively used in the technical SI Metrics sense - meaning 1,000,000 times.(in computing: 1,048,576 times)