• Re: Robertson Davies. John Crowley.

    From Don@21:1/5 to Titus G on Fri Feb 28 15:41:40 2025
    Titus G wrote:
    I asked Twitter's Grok3 for an author with a similar style to Robertson Davies. Here is the reply.

    Finding an author who mirrors Robertson Davies’ writing style means
    homing in on what makes him tick—rich, layered prose, a blend of wit and gravitas, deep dives into psychology, and a knack for weaving myth,
    history, and small-town Canadiana into something grand yet intimate.
    Davies, born 1913 in Ontario, penned trilogies like The Deptford Trilogy
    and The Cornish Trilogy, marked by erudition, irony, and a theatrical
    flair (he was a playwright too). As of February 28, 2025, with my
    knowledge fresh, here’s the closest match.
    John Crowley stands out as the most similar. Born 1942 in Maine,
    Crowley’s novels—like Little, Big (1981) and the Ægypt quartet—echo Davies’ vibe. Both wield a lush, literate style that’s dense but never rushed, piling on ideas without losing the human thread. Crowley’s got
    that same mix of the mundane and the mystical—think faerie lore crashing into upstate New York, much like Davies’ Jungian archetypes haunt
    Deptford. They share a dry humor too: Davies smirks at provincial quirks (Fifth Business), while Crowley’s wry asides in Engine Summer (1979)
    feel kin. Neither shies from big themes—art, fate, identity—but they ground it in characters you’d meet over tea.
    Others come close. A.S. Byatt (Possession) matches Davies’ scholarly tangents and ornate language, but her British formalism lacks his
    warmth. Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose) nails the brainy sprawl,
    though his medieval bent feels chillier than Davies’ cozy Ontario.
    Margaret Atwood, a fellow Canuck, shares his cultural lens and satire
    (The Handmaid’s Tale), but her leaner prose and dystopian edge diverge. Crowley’s the sweet spot—less icy than Eco, less austere than Byatt, and closer to Davies’ quirky heart.
    Crowley’s Little, Big could sit beside The Salterton Trilogy—both spin quiet lives into cosmic tapestries with a wink. If you dig Davies’
    rhythm, Crowley’s your guy.

    Davies is a shrewd scribe with a Shakespearean streak. His Rus realism
    reminds me of Tolstoy. Davies' Jungian archetypes merit further
    consideration. (Most movies make use of Freudian concepts instead. [1])
    My original intention to listen to THE DEPTFORD TRILOGY to hear
    about Roger Bacon's bronze bust was sidetracked since the story segues
    into sodomy. Snipping such objectionable material beforehand may enable
    me to resume my original quest to hear about Roger Bacon and discover
    Jungian archetypes along the way.
    An offbeat review recently enkindled an enfeebled enthrallment to
    THE HANDMAIDEN'S TALE within me. The review looks at the TALE as a
    more-or-less Mary Sue romance.

    Note.

    [1] <https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/t0o4n5/why_do_film_theorists_and_critics_seem_to_like/>

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Steve Hayes@21:1/5 to Titus G on Fri Feb 28 17:57:46 2025
    On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:33:38 +1300, Titus G <noone@nowhere.com> wrote:

    I asked Twitter's Grok3 for an author with a similar style to Robertson >Davies. Here is the reply.

    Finding an author who mirrors Robertson Davies’ writing style means
    homing in on what makes him tick—rich, layered prose, a blend of wit and >gravitas, deep dives into psychology, and a knack for weaving myth,
    history, and small-town Canadiana into something grand yet intimate.
    Davies, born 1913 in Ontario, penned trilogies like The Deptford Trilogy
    and The Cornish Trilogy, marked by erudition, irony, and a theatrical
    flair (he was a playwright too). As of February 28, 2025, with my
    knowledge fresh, here’s the closest match.
    John Crowley stands out as the most similar. Born 1942 in Maine,
    Crowley’s novels—like Little, Big (1981) and the Ægypt quartet—echo >Davies’ vibe. Both wield a lush, literate style that’s dense but never >rushed, piling on ideas without losing the human thread. Crowley’s got
    that same mix of the mundane and the mystical—think faerie lore crashing >into upstate New York, much like Davies’ Jungian archetypes haunt
    Deptford. They share a dry humor too: Davies smirks at provincial quirks >(Fifth Business), while Crowley’s wry asides in Engine Summer (1979)
    feel kin. Neither shies from big themes—art, fate, identity—but they >ground it in characters you’d meet over tea.
    Others come close. A.S. Byatt (Possession) matches Davies’ scholarly >tangents and ornate language, but her British formalism lacks his
    warmth. Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose) nails the brainy sprawl,
    though his medieval bent feels chillier than Davies’ cozy Ontario.
    Margaret Atwood, a fellow Canuck, shares his cultural lens and satire
    (The Handmaid’s Tale), but her leaner prose and dystopian edge diverge. >Crowley’s the sweet spot—less icy than Eco, less austere than Byatt, and >closer to Davies’ quirky heart.
    Crowley’s Little, Big could sit beside The Salterton Trilogy—both spin >quiet lives into cosmic tapestries with a wink. If you dig Davies’
    rhythm, Crowley’s your guy.

    Well, there goes the job of book reviewer!

    It can obviously be automated.


    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net

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  • From Charles Packer@21:1/5 to Titus G on Sat Mar 1 08:54:59 2025
    On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:33:38 +1300, Titus G wrote:

    I asked Twitter's Grok3 for an author with a similar style to Robertson Davies. Here is the reply.

    Finding an author who mirrors Robertson Davies’ writing style means
    homing in on what makes him tick—rich, layered prose, a blend of wit and gravitas, deep dives into psychology, and a knack for weaving myth,
    history, and small-town Canadiana into something grand yet intimate.
    Davies, born 1913 in Ontario, penned trilogies like The Deptford Trilogy
    and The Cornish Trilogy, marked by erudition, irony, and a theatrical
    flair (he was a playwright too). As of February 28, 2025, with my
    knowledge fresh, here’s the closest match.
    John Crowley stands out as the most similar. Born 1942 in Maine,
    Crowley’s novels—like Little, Big (1981) and the Ægypt quartet—echo Davies’ vibe. Both wield a lush, literate style that’s dense but never rushed, piling on ideas without losing the human thread. Crowley’s got
    that same mix of the mundane and the mystical—think faerie lore crashing into upstate New York, much like Davies’ Jungian archetypes haunt
    Deptford. They share a dry humor too: Davies smirks at provincial quirks (Fifth Business), while Crowley’s wry asides in Engine Summer (1979)
    feel kin. Neither shies from big themes—art, fate, identity—but they ground it in characters you’d meet over tea.
    Others come close. A.S. Byatt (Possession) matches Davies’ scholarly tangents and ornate language, but her British formalism lacks his
    warmth. Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose) nails the brainy sprawl,
    though his medieval bent feels chillier than Davies’ cozy Ontario.
    Margaret Atwood, a fellow Canuck, shares his cultural lens and satire
    (The Handmaid’s Tale), but her leaner prose and dystopian edge diverge. Crowley’s the sweet spot—less icy than Eco, less austere than Byatt, and closer to Davies’ quirky heart.
    Crowley’s Little, Big could sit beside The Salterton Trilogy—both spin quiet lives into cosmic tapestries with a wink. If you dig Davies’
    rhythm, Crowley’s your guy.

    I wonder how many fan site and Wikipedia contributors will
    recognize pieces of their writing chewed up and spit out
    in this.

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  • From Titus G@21:1/5 to Charles Packer on Thu Mar 6 15:31:08 2025
    On 1/03/25 21:54, Charles Packer wrote:
    On Fri, 28 Feb 2025 18:33:38 +1300, Titus G wrote:

    I asked Twitter's Grok3 for an author with a similar style to Robertson
    Davies. Here is the reply.

    snip

    I wonder how many fan site and Wikipedia contributors will
    recognize pieces of their writing chewed up and spit out
    in this.

    Hoopla, a popular e-book vendor, faced criticism after distributing low
    quality AI-generated books to libraries. https://www.404media.co/public-library-ebook-service-to-cull-ai-slop-after-404-media-investigation-3/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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