Randar and the Anxiety of Influence

One of my friends found an excerpt of Noble Vision and was so upset by the style that he has decided not to read it. The problem, at least in part, is that the style is reminiscent of Rand's. He wants something more original.

Actually, the style is reminiscent of Rand's in some ways, and not in others. Gen LaGreca's sentence structures, for example, are quite different than Rand's. Her use of metaphor is not much like Rand's either. There are some noticeable areas of overlap; certain phrases and ideas are direct clues to Rand's influence. The phrase "the best within", followed by a pronoun, is a good example.

In The Anxiety Of Influence, Harold Bloom put forth the idea that writers typically begin under the influence of another writer, whom they wish to emulate while working to develop their own voices and themes. I think that's typically true. Early Keats sounds a lot more like Milton than later Keats.

The problem was emotionally acute for the Romantic poets, because they believed in originality as a key aspect of art. A similar logic often plays out for Objectivists, both as creators and critics. In fact, Objectivists and former Objectivists have a sharp sense of Randar, by which they can detect the remotest presence of the lady's influence.

As for me, I try not to be distracted by the background bleeping of my Randar when I take in a Rand-influenced artwork like Noble Vision. I instead focus on appreciating the artwork on its own terms, as a self-contained entity with its own purposes. I found Noble Vision very enjoyable this way. I'm sure it will not suit all tastes, of course.

For example, its love story is rather sweetly told from a feminine point of view, and lacks that hard edge found in Rand's love stories. This will surely not suit some people. As for me, I've been reading a lot of romance novels lately, and I'm actually enjoying them, so you can see I have a high tolerance for sweet love stories.

Another friend of mine liked Noble Vision very much. (Actually, he liked it better than he liked my novel, in part because my hero and heroine engage in such nastiness - by his standards.)

I'm reading romance novels.
I don't usually boast of it.
But if this be sappiness,
Make the most of it.