Belligerent (Lionel Shriver)

https://video.ens-lyon.fr/eduscol-cdl/2015/ANG_2015_lshriver_02.mp4

Belligerent: adj. Resembling both work and demeanor of certain fiction writers, most notoriously the cantankerous Lionel Shriver. Author does not play well with others. Insists on crafting characters who are unpleasant if not obnoxious, causing readers to object that protagonists are “unattractive.” Author selects perverse subjects about which no sane person would wish to read for leisure enjoyment—e.g., demography (please), failure (but we want ROLE MODELS!), economics (z-z-z-z), or the American healthcare system (you’ve got to be kidding). Though female, author adopted Lionel at age-15, yet claims to have “zero interest” in the Fifty Shades of Gender Identity currently available for self-classification on Facebook. Self-destructively, said novelist refuses to participate in “time suck” social media, so only knows about Facebook from frumpy old newspapers. Author can be scathing about literary festivals, dismissing such gatherings as “a big wank,” yet illogically continues to attend them, if only to enjoy finding them annoying. Belligerent authors are prone to react badly to assignments to select a “key word” that summarizes their entire ooooooou-vre, often expressing dismay that the exercise feels pretentious and artificial. The belligerent author can be dangerous, and should be approached with caution. Synonyms: quarrelsome, uncooperative, truculent, difficult, ungrateful, pugnacious, unlikeable, grumpy, misanthropic, secretly-not-very-scary-really, and all-bark-and-no-bite.

Pour citer cette ressource :

Lionel Shriver, Belligerent (Lionel Shriver), La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), mai 2015. Consulté le 31/12/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/litterature/entretiens-et-textes-inedits/belligerent-lionel-shriver-