Does anyone else find it annoying when book-lovers. and critics...

[UnquietDad]

... refer to a book by the definite article and the name of the author?

e.g.

"The Amis"

"The Barnes"

etc.

"Oh, I loved the Amis but I found the McEwan more challenging."

It gets on my nerves.

[tiredemma]

PMSL-
the kind of trash I read- nobody ever to them like that.

[tiredemma]

nobody ever refers to them like that.

should say.

[Desiderata]

Me too. Stop it, whoever you are!

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

No, I would be far more irritated by the fact that they were still giving airtime to Amis when there is so much better stuff out there, than by how they choose to refer to them.

[fleacircus]

Yes. And I find it annoying when film critics refer to characters using the actor's name as a possessive - as in 'Deborah Kerr's mother superior' or 'Daniel Auteil's art dealer'.

[UnquietDad]

Barry Norman's film reviews - he'd always talk about the characters doing things, but as the actor. e.g.
"When Cruise finds out that Basinger is cheating on him with Pacino"...

(Not a real example, but you know the kind of thing.)

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

Oh now that is annoying. Yes.

[JeremyVile]

Could these be the same people who dont simply go on holiday but 'will be doing Costa Rica' or will be 'gite-ing in Bordeaux'

[fleacircus]

Oh yes - that 'doing' countries thing is hideous, isn't it? Horrible pretentious way to create the impression that they're doing something more sophisticated than going on holiday like the rest of us oiks.

[JeremyVile]

Makes my teeth itch.......

[PhoenixSongbird]

My Dad always says 'Branson' or 'Clarkson' rather than the full name. Not everyone gets this treatment, so why only certain people. He also does it with some of his friends, eg referring to one of his oldest friends by his surname, but not to his face. I've always found this very weird and annoying, I think it has something to do with jealousy, myself.

[PhoenixSongbird]

Oh, and a resounding 'yes' to the OP. Wanky to the extreme!

[WendyWeber]

Not "the Binchy" or "the Cartland" though, LOL.

[bigmouthstrikesagain]

Bet the authors like it though (perhaps almost subliminally) as it is a step closer to becoming an adjective - you know - that is so 'Dickensian' or 'Kafka-esque' etc.

Though 'Amis-ian' could be confusing - which one?

[RoxyNotFoxy]

What about when they refer to books by shortened titles, such as in, "I thought McEwan was more convincing in Enduring than in Comnfort, didn't you?" Or "I don't think Dickens really moved on after Nickleby and Tale. Frankly, I thought Mutual was a bit of a failure".

[TotalChaos]

I wonder if they are doing it to hide laziness/lapse of memory.

[RoxyNotFoxy]

No, I think the do it to show everyone how familiar they are with the world of literature. First name terms, so to speak.

bigmouth, I think "Martian" is the right adjective for one of Mart's books.

[UnquietDad]

It is also very, very wanky to refer to Shakespeare's play with all the fairies as "the 'Dream'".

"Oh, yes, we saw the 'Dream' at the Garrick. It was exquisite."

Oh, feck off, you ponce. Shakespeare wrote for ordinary people, do you realise?

[UnquietDad]

Yes, I shall have to ask DW how she is getting on with "the Kinsella", or if she has moved on to "the Holden"...

[Snaf]

In much the same way, I enjoyed the Beckham enormously but found the Price disappointing, on many levels. I am hugely excited by the prospect of the new, revised edition of the Halliwell.

Don't you think?

[Kathyis6incheshigh]

LOLOL Snaf