Posted by Peter Ceresole on December 02, 2014 at 10:09:17 user PeterC.
In Reply to: Re: Things We Don't Like! posted by Magnus Smith on December 02, 2014 at 08:16:02:
Surely his later works would be less open to criticism than his earlier 'duds'?
I find his earlier works- his 'duds' if you like, interesting because of the light they throw on him, and because of the remarkable quality- and success- of his children's book series. If not for them, his earlier books would be mainly of interest to a relatively specialised readership, of which I don't think I would be a member.
GN?, as a declared continuation of the main children's series, is judged on a different level, in a different context.
Writing isn't a physical thing, so there's no need to decline with age.
I don't speak for anybody else here, but I find that ageing makes a difference to all the faculties, mental as well as physical, especially considering the illnesses, not necessarily fatal or greatly disabling, that appear, or increase, with age. Remember that AR was afflicted with stomach trouble all his life, which made him increasingly uncomfortable and by all accounts gave him an increasingly 'dyspeptic' character. None of that would make writing easier, especially as he was generally nervous about work in progress, which would classically affect his stomach acidity and increase his physical discomfort. And this would be likely to affect his engagement with his stories and characters, and his writing.