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Language Log: The Dan Brown Code

I found this critique of Dan Brown's writing awfully amusing. Among the gems:

Brown's writing is not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad. In some passages scarcely a word or phrase seems to have been carefully selected or compared with alternatives.

I read The Da Vinci Code. In about a day and a half of part-time reading. It's quick, it's vaguely interesting if you don't let the poor writing get you down, and it led to some discussion about some interesting topics (which actually may be the only reason it is interesting in and of itself - it's not like the characters have any depth or anything).

Normally I have a hard time reading for pleasure because "editor mode" is always turned on. Having read this critique, I think my brain must have realized it would be hopeless and just shut down, because I admit to not thinking much about the grammar and word choices made in the book.