a review of ragtimes *interesting* characters
Here on the world-reknowned bog blog, we well acknowledge that I hate Ragtime. More specifically, its characters. The author's not-so-well hidden god complex shows through in several of them. Doctorow builds his character's "private" lives through the text, showcasing his abilities as the author of this book to create strange situations for them to interact in. Does this book count as historical fan-fiction? I think it does. In some ways it almost feels like a self-insert fan-fiction. Though, I'm not sure how to explain how I get that connection other than just "it feels like it". Maybe its because he just sorta waltzes through history and writes in whatever element he chooses. "Emma Goldman and Evelyn Nesbit meet up together? Heck yeah. It's now in the book." "The Little Boy just so happens to come across Harry Houdini in a completely outlandish car accident? Yeah, why not." None of these characters are actually supposed to mee...