APS TOGETHER
Day 16
New Grub Street by George GissingChapter 16
November 21, 2023 by Yiyun Li
“A small scrap of weedy carpet lay in front of the fireplace.”
I really like that adjective, weedy, here. Gissing doesn’t often apply pressure to his language, but when he does it, it really works well.
“He ate his bread and dripping with knife and fork; this always made the fare seem more substantial.”
A superb sentence—only people who have experienced hunger can write this sentence.
This is one of my favorite chapters so far, with everything in it: two different kinds of writing adjacent business vividly revealed; romantic and professional dramas and disappointments.
