Attention Vincent K (Connor) fans...

[shadowkat]

Apparently the actor is now in the AMC series Mad Men - and recently discussed that role and ATS here:

http://www.tvguide.com/news/070816-01

Wales and I tried Mad Men and couldn't make it through the pilot - bored us and the sound was weird. But others on my flist and critics in general seem to adore it, so what do I know? ;-)

Comments

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

As a rule, I'm not a big fan of history, historical novels, or fiction stories with a past-era-like feel, such as those medieval fantasies. Precisely because I would never want to live during those times. It would have been hell.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I guess it has a lot to do with why you read books. To be entertained or to be informed or both? Or just to escape into a world that is better or nicer than your own?

Personally, I find books about time periods I would not have wanted to live in - oddly comforting. Weird, I know. It's sort of the whole - misery loves company deal - or, more likely - thank god I'm not doing that or living there - very happy to be here instead - which come to think of it, might be similar to why some people adore horror novels and may explain my own odd love/hate fascination with that particular genre.

I watch tv sometimes with the same principal - and tend to prefer to see the characters going through hell than living these blissful existences. (What that says about me? I really don't want to know or speculate about...While I hate *physical torture* per se or too much of it - I do admit to a somewhat sadistic enjoyment of painful character studies.)

That said, the Medieval age gets a bit old after a while. Maybe because it has been overdone?

I've read a lot of historicals - not overly fond of them. Not because of the time period per se but...well, most are more interested in the time period and the author's research on it, than actually telling me a story or developing a character - almost to the extent that I sort of wish they'd give up the pretense and write a non-fiction novel about the period. Examples of boring historical novelists? John Jakes and Gore Vidal. Howard Fast was sort of fun - but he likes the 1960s to 1970s - which I admit a certain fondness for. Dorothy Dunnett is equally fun - but she's pre-Elizabethan and around the time of Queen Mary - a period that I enjoy reading about. And she's into politics - which I enjoy. Diana Galbadon is just silly. Patrick O'Brien - interesting if you are interested in the Napoleanic Wars and Naval History. So for me? It depends.

But I can see why you don't like them at all.

[masqthephlsphr.livejournal.com]

It's not that I want to see people living happy, blissful existences. There are problems in every era and culture. I just have personal issues with certain *kinds* of miserable existences, and prefer my literature to explore other kinds of miseries instead.