Franzen, Freedom and Style

Unlike any other year, where I'm usually on pace to read about a dozen and a half serious works, a dozen of which are literary fiction, this year I have been spending all my free time listening and watching podcasts or iTunes University lectures. It's been a struggle to read even though I now have both a Kindle and iPad. When I have been reading, it's been the free samples you can download, so like a kid in a candy stores I've read a bunch excerpts, but have not bought any. Finally took the plunge and bought Jonathan Franzen's latest novel, Freedom and ripped through a few chapters since. Makes me realize what great writing is: storytelling. Franzen's writing is so crisp that you barely even notice it, it's as if you're eating words. What hits me hard about Franzen's greatness, is his deep understanding of human nature. f
Franzen's character portrayals cut to the core without any flash or artifice. His writing style reminds me a lot of Wally Lamb, the stories are so powerful that it's not an effort to read on. Made me think how different my (modest) writing style and approach is. I like the details, the black humor, the outlandishness of a situation and think that the story is secondary. This is why I love S.J. Perelman; each sentence he writes is a work of art in itself, his wit always shines and the stories seem to be there mainly as a platform for style. There still is something to be said for style over substance...