Here, at Linguistic Aid Kit, we take interest in both classical and modern authors and their influence on small and large communities. Even more closely we scrutinise authors with explicit interest in linguistics, education and policies concerning those. To this extent, we are unable to simply disregard the work of John Green and not feature it on our blog.
John Green often coins in new terms and words for the use of online communities, which is of course of great interest to us. On an unrelated note, he often advocates educational approaches which Linguistic Aid Kit work towards, such as online education, interactive education, etc. Finally, he discusses important political issues, such as economics, religion and terrorism, among others, and holds beliefs which coincide to a great extent with the ones of our community. Nevertheless, he offers little in his literary works, and this is discussed below.
John Green first gained fame and publicity through his YouTube channel, VlogBrothers. Together with his brother Hank, he addressed important social and political issues on a biweekly basis. Aside from pressing problems, he also uploaded a number of videos purely dedicated to entertainment.
As time progressed, he grew to create a few online series, among which Crash Course stood out. In these videos, he explains his viewpoint of historian, reader, politician, philosopher, critic, etc. regarding some of the most significant events in the history of society. His commentary is thrilling, though sometimes clumsy and incoherent.
Finally, he stole the spotlight from all major world celebrities after publishing his novels, chiefly The Fault in Our Stars. And this is the subject of the present article.
I was travelling from London to Edinburgh. That day, I had had much more free time that I had expected. Consequently, I had concluded the reading of a book which I had planned to read on the train. At London Victoria, there is no reputable book shop, so I ventured into WH Smith hoping to stumble upon a light read.
My eyes were immediately drawn towards the name of John Green, of whom I didn’t know to be an author. By that time, I had been an avid follower of his channels, and I tended to concur with most of his opinions, save for the fact that he is much more eloquent in his presentation. And when I read the title (The Fault in Our Stars) I assumed it had some connection with celebrities and the social construct of one. My head was spinning with a load of philosophical misgivings towards the Kardashians and Miley Cyrus, and I was impatient to see my thought dressed in the words of John Green.
To cut the story short, I read the book in one sitting, and with ever dwindling interest and respect. I was somewhat appalled by the sudden shift in the direction of Green’s work. Firstly, I felt the plot was entirely mimicking the one of The Notebook and had little literary value. Secondly, I was thoroughly disappointed in the hackneyed similes, metaphors, hyperboles and expressions. The book read like a collage of words cut out from bedtime novels of the 2000s.
In addition, for the first time in my experience, John Green was addressing a large proportion of the population with no regards for the values his work was preaching. He became commercial. Thus far, his blogs were entirely dedicated to what he calls ‘nerdfighters’: a community that arose because of and around his videos. Now, he was addressing emotionally distressed teenagers, impressed by the use of big words and by clichéd character struggles.
This was extremely disappointing. John Green was - and still is - an inspirational person with the ability to profess his viewpoints intelligently, intelligibly, and passionately. His works in the areas of history and education are absolutely indispensable in the current social context of both the USA and Europe. His hearty talks about sensitive topics such as religion and terrorism can be eye-opening for an entire generation and can ultimately lead to an increased understanding and a better dialogue between different doctrines.
His works on important and pressing issues, coupled with his light-hearted videos (such as People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes) present a platform for engaging and ever growing discussions.
However, unfortunately, to a great part of the population he will remain known as the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska: works with little or no literary value, which in turn greatly undermine his decent intellectual endeavours and his unparalleled capacity as a philosopher.
This post aims to draw your attention to the thrilling works of John Green and to withdraw the halo around his undeserving novels. A scientist of his calibre must be celebrated for his actual contributions to society, and not for his fictional mediocrity.
Please don’t forget to leave your comments and, of course,
Stay classy
Linguistic Aid Kit
John Green often coins in new terms and words for the use of online communities, which is of course of great interest to us. On an unrelated note, he often advocates educational approaches which Linguistic Aid Kit work towards, such as online education, interactive education, etc. Finally, he discusses important political issues, such as economics, religion and terrorism, among others, and holds beliefs which coincide to a great extent with the ones of our community. Nevertheless, he offers little in his literary works, and this is discussed below.
John Green first gained fame and publicity through his YouTube channel, VlogBrothers. Together with his brother Hank, he addressed important social and political issues on a biweekly basis. Aside from pressing problems, he also uploaded a number of videos purely dedicated to entertainment.
As time progressed, he grew to create a few online series, among which Crash Course stood out. In these videos, he explains his viewpoint of historian, reader, politician, philosopher, critic, etc. regarding some of the most significant events in the history of society. His commentary is thrilling, though sometimes clumsy and incoherent.
Finally, he stole the spotlight from all major world celebrities after publishing his novels, chiefly The Fault in Our Stars. And this is the subject of the present article.
I was travelling from London to Edinburgh. That day, I had had much more free time that I had expected. Consequently, I had concluded the reading of a book which I had planned to read on the train. At London Victoria, there is no reputable book shop, so I ventured into WH Smith hoping to stumble upon a light read.
My eyes were immediately drawn towards the name of John Green, of whom I didn’t know to be an author. By that time, I had been an avid follower of his channels, and I tended to concur with most of his opinions, save for the fact that he is much more eloquent in his presentation. And when I read the title (The Fault in Our Stars) I assumed it had some connection with celebrities and the social construct of one. My head was spinning with a load of philosophical misgivings towards the Kardashians and Miley Cyrus, and I was impatient to see my thought dressed in the words of John Green.
To cut the story short, I read the book in one sitting, and with ever dwindling interest and respect. I was somewhat appalled by the sudden shift in the direction of Green’s work. Firstly, I felt the plot was entirely mimicking the one of The Notebook and had little literary value. Secondly, I was thoroughly disappointed in the hackneyed similes, metaphors, hyperboles and expressions. The book read like a collage of words cut out from bedtime novels of the 2000s.
In addition, for the first time in my experience, John Green was addressing a large proportion of the population with no regards for the values his work was preaching. He became commercial. Thus far, his blogs were entirely dedicated to what he calls ‘nerdfighters’: a community that arose because of and around his videos. Now, he was addressing emotionally distressed teenagers, impressed by the use of big words and by clichéd character struggles.
This was extremely disappointing. John Green was - and still is - an inspirational person with the ability to profess his viewpoints intelligently, intelligibly, and passionately. His works in the areas of history and education are absolutely indispensable in the current social context of both the USA and Europe. His hearty talks about sensitive topics such as religion and terrorism can be eye-opening for an entire generation and can ultimately lead to an increased understanding and a better dialogue between different doctrines.
His works on important and pressing issues, coupled with his light-hearted videos (such as People Who Love Giraffes Who Love Giraffes) present a platform for engaging and ever growing discussions.
However, unfortunately, to a great part of the population he will remain known as the author of The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska: works with little or no literary value, which in turn greatly undermine his decent intellectual endeavours and his unparalleled capacity as a philosopher.
This post aims to draw your attention to the thrilling works of John Green and to withdraw the halo around his undeserving novels. A scientist of his calibre must be celebrated for his actual contributions to society, and not for his fictional mediocrity.
Please don’t forget to leave your comments and, of course,
Stay classy
Linguistic Aid Kit
