If James Frey had wanted his book to be respected as a body of work in and of itself, he wouldn't have lied and called it a "true" story. He made his own bed when he called that book autobiographical and... it wasn't. The value of the work cannot overcome the basic fact that the author said "I did not make this up. This happened." when really he totally made it up.
This entire conversation was started when you conjectured that I had something against Briony to start with. This is the first conversation I've had with anyone where I have not been defending Briony, so you can kindly get off your valiant steed of defensiveness. You think that Briony wrote her false ending out of love. And I agree. I think Briony legitimately thought she was doing what she thought was right. Can you do something and be unintentionally selfish? Yes, you totally can. And that's what I think happened here.
Of Cecilia: she is a mystery which! Was my original message. If Briony felt so badly towards her sister, she might have included her more. I think Cecilia wouldn't appreciate Briony's book for several reasons, which are as followed:
- She cut herself off from her family after Robbie's incarceration. - She ignored all attempts from her siblings to reconciliate. - If we can believe that the letter excerpts we read in the book were true, she told Robbie that she could never forgive Briony. - She might very well have loved her sister, but that has nothing to do with approving of her actions. - Bonds beyond blood do not necessarily remain. - And to say so off-handedly that Cecilia probably though often of Briony is ridiculous. Yeah, sure. She probably wondered idly about her sister. But I'm sure she also thought 'oh, well, I'm totally worrying about my boyfriend because he's in a prison because of my sister's testimony' or 'boy, I'm so glad Briony testified at Robbie's trial, cause now he's in France and it's just fabulous.' - It is entirely fathomable to think that Cecilia probably thought about what she'd say if she saw Briony again. That does not mean in any way that she wanted to see her sister, or that she wanted to forgive her sister. - And yes. Perhaps Cecilia would have seen through her sister's flight of fancy for the umpteenth time and thought, 'oh, I suppose Briony did what she thought was right,' but she could have thought that about the trial, too. That doesn't mean that what she did was right, it means that Cecilia could acknowledge that Briony thought what she was doing was right. They are two very separate things.
But you're right: everything about conjecture about Cecilia. So you could be entirely wrong too.
No one ever said that people who do bad things are always bad people. I didn't say Briony was a bad person, I said she was a life-ruiner. One who ruins lives. Briony ruined both Cecilia's and Robbie's lives, therefore making her a life-ruiner.
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This entire conversation was started when you conjectured that I had something against Briony to start with. This is the first conversation I've had with anyone where I have not been defending Briony, so you can kindly get off your valiant steed of defensiveness. You think that Briony wrote her false ending out of love. And I agree. I think Briony legitimately thought she was doing what she thought was right. Can you do something and be unintentionally selfish? Yes, you totally can. And that's what I think happened here.
Of Cecilia: she is a mystery which! Was my original message. If Briony felt so badly towards her sister, she might have included her more. I think Cecilia wouldn't appreciate Briony's book for several reasons, which are as followed:
- She cut herself off from her family after Robbie's incarceration.
- She ignored all attempts from her siblings to reconciliate.
- If we can believe that the letter excerpts we read in the book were true, she told Robbie that she could never forgive Briony.
- She might very well have loved her sister, but that has nothing to do with approving of her actions.
- Bonds beyond blood do not necessarily remain.
- And to say so off-handedly that Cecilia probably though often of Briony is ridiculous. Yeah, sure. She probably wondered idly about her sister. But I'm sure she also thought 'oh, well, I'm totally worrying about my boyfriend because he's in a prison because of my sister's testimony' or 'boy, I'm so glad Briony testified at Robbie's trial, cause now he's in France and it's just fabulous.'
- It is entirely fathomable to think that Cecilia probably thought about what she'd say if she saw Briony again. That does not mean in any way that she wanted to see her sister, or that she wanted to forgive her sister.
- And yes. Perhaps Cecilia would have seen through her sister's flight of fancy for the umpteenth time and thought, 'oh, I suppose Briony did what she thought was right,' but she could have thought that about the trial, too. That doesn't mean that what she did was right, it means that Cecilia could acknowledge that Briony thought what she was doing was right. They are two very separate things.
But you're right: everything about conjecture about Cecilia. So you could be entirely wrong too.
No one ever said that people who do bad things are always bad people. I didn't say Briony was a bad person, I said she was a life-ruiner. One who ruins lives. Briony ruined both Cecilia's and Robbie's lives, therefore making her a life-ruiner.