Customer Reviews

The Collected Essays and Occasional Writings

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This paperback edition of Katherine Porter's essays and occasional writing is a re-issue of the same material published in 1970, which at that time must have been compiled with the oversight of Ms. Porter, as indicated by a sprinkling of editorial marginalia by the author scattered throughout the book. As such, I assume it to be Ms. Porter's estimation of the best of her literary output that had not been collected already. This, as opposed to compilations that are assembled after the author's death, and, depending on how fawning or how zealous the editor might be, can be taxing as they include everything but kitchen fixtures, regardless of quality.

One point I'd like to stress is that no matter what my overall impression of these miscellaneous contributions, the quality is consistant throughout and probably best described as refined. The hodge-podge nature of the book may not appeal to all readers - or rather, not all subjects covered herein are likely to appeal to every reader - but to my eyes there was no discernable drop-off in quality whether the author was covering the works of D.H. Lawrence, revolution in Mexico, or beginning the biography of Cotton Mather.

The book is divided in to seven sections, and, as hinted at above, they cast a wide net. They are: Critical, Personal and Particular, Biographical, Cotton Mather, Mexican, On Writing, and Poems. Critical covers a variety of artists both past and contemporary to Ms. Porter - and this is the section that I enjoyed the most. At least, I enjoyed the overall viewpoint she communicated. Beginning with these essays, and then on through her letters, biographical excerpts, and personal experiences, Ms. Porter imparted the feeling that she was sweeping away bothersome, dusty canards held by an established literary fraternity, of which she was on the outside - happily, thank you very much - and which gave her a no-nonsense, clear view of the subject without being beholden to any dogma, credo or school of thought. And often, I suspect that was exactly the case.

Yet this is a rather sly trick of technique that I eventually found tiresome. As I said, it isn't her conclusions I object to - some inspired me to take another look at authors I'd previously skipped over - it is her delivery. Taken singly, or in small groups, Ms. Porter's non-fiction is formal but lively, with perhaps a dash of brashness that at first gives the impression that I'm getting an unvarnished report on the subject from a singular mind. Cumulatively though, the effect is off-putting; as the subjects under scrutiny eventually fade into the background and one is left with Ms. Porter the person, the tone turns ego-centric, and the barriers installed between the author and her peers serve just as well as to put a distance between the author and this reader.

Still, I don't NOT recommend this collection - for a couple of reasons. First, as a stylist, Ms. Porter writes in an elevated, effortless manner that suggests good sense and cleverness. Readers who don't agree with my assessment of her flaws will most likely enjoy her essays very much. Aside from her criticism (which includes Thomas Hardy, Willa Cather, Virginia Woolf and others), there are personal letters, autobiographical sketches, excerpts from an unfinished biography of Cotton Mather, eyewitness reports from Mexico during the 1920's, and a handful of poems. For devotees of Ms. Porter, I'd think this book is a must.

Secondly, I read this collection straight through, as I have a terrible habit of not picking a book back up once set aside. This served to intensify any negative feeling I had about Ms. Porter's style; readers who are able to read bits and pieces at a time, and perhaps stretch the book out over several months may not come to the same conclusions that I did. Lastly, despite my reservations, the author's non-fiction inspired me to look at her stories, as I wonder if her fiction has the same tone as these essays.