History TakeThat / Literature

* StephenKing's [[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29001524/ recent interview with MSNBC]] has him stating flat-out that in his opinion, [[{{Twilight}} Stephanie Meyer]] 'can't write worth a damn'.

** Someone also gets snarky about "tortured, sentimental vampires" in a book released not too long after the ''{{Twilight}}'' craze started.

*** This one is weird, because catholics put a much lower priority on bible study than most Christian sects

* How the hell has [[Discworld Pratchett's Discworld]] gone so long without a mention, the whole thing is practically a TakeThat, ''WitchesAbroad'' at fairy-tales ''LordsAndLadies'' at Tolkienesqe elves, ''GuardsGuards'' at the standard life expectancy of the poor buggers in most fantasy, etc.

** [[PGWodehouse P.G. Wodehouse]] also aimed a TakeThat at the British Fascist leader Oswald Mosley, a preposterous figure leading the 'black shorts' who leads a double life designing ladies underwear. His put down by Bertie Wooster deserves to be read in full. "It's about time some publicly-spirited person told you where to get off. The trouble with you, Spode, is that just because you've succeeded in convincing a handful of half-wits to disfigure the London scene by going about in black shorts, you think you're someone. You hear them shouting "Hail, Spode!" and you imagine it's the voice of the people. That is where you make your bloomer. What the voice of the people is actually saying is, "Look at that frightful ass Spode swanking about in footer bags! Did you ever in your life see such a perfect perisher?"

* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wicked Son of the Witch]] was written in 2005, after the [[AdaptationDecay musical]], and the Tonys, in which it lost to [[AvenueQ to a show that gives new lyrics to classical Broadway Songs]] Early in the book, Dorothy and Company remember how hard it was to get in the first time. Good thing Scarecrow notices that the guards are distracted by a motley crew advertising some strange new show done mostly with puppets so they can sneak in.

* ''The God Delusion'' by RichardDawkins and ''God is Not Great'' by Christopher Hitchens are two prominent {{Take That}}s against religion and those who follow it. Conversely, books written to debunk the claims can be interpreted as {{Take That}}s directed at Dawkins and Hitchens.
* MichaelMoore's films and books are unapologetically this.

* China Mieville's ''Perdido Street Station'' had a part where the heroes hire some professional warriors, who are obviously modeled on both D&D type adventurers and post-Tolkien fantasy heroes. They're greedy and uncaring, and almost all of them are killed horribly.
** That said, Mieville said in an interview with ''{{Dragon}} Magazine'' that he had played D&D when he was younger, and that it was an AffectionateParody. And let's face it -- D&D characters ''do'' have a tendency to die horrible deaths on a regular basis!

** Also, the art of divination is considered trickery. Even in the magic world(!).

** It's official. StephenKing just got promoted to Stephen God.
*** Except for the fact that he considers JodiPicoult to be a good writer. Oops.
*** King did follow that up by saying that he was talking about competence, rather than effectiveness- he was saying that, despite her clear ability to make stories and sell books, she needs to work on her actual writing ability.

* [[OrSoIHeard reportedly]], the ending of [[EightBitTheater Brian Clevinger's]] Nuklear Age was meant to be a massive TakeThat at CerebusSyndrome.

* Upon hearing GertrudeStein's quote, "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose," ErnestHemingway responded, "A bitch is a bitch is a bitch."

** Actually, if it's a TakeThat at ''anything'', it's one aimed at the rather [[DidNotDoTheResearch piss-poor writing]] that shows up in so many purportedly 'historical' works. The real Galileo was a [[Jerkass loudmouth and blowhard]] and a [[TooDumbToLive bit of a fool]] given that his trial with the Inquisition started after he accused ThePope of the time of being an idiot. In print. ''After said Pope publically defended him while disagreeing with heliocentrism.''

* Al Franken's books ''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot (and other observations)'' and ''Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell them: a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right'' are [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin exactly what they say on their respective tins]].
** TruthInTelevision
** YourMileageMayVary

* A critic named Platt wrote some rather contemptuous and, in DavidDrake's opinion, ill-informed remarks on one of Drake's early stories. Since then, people named "Platt" in Drake's books are invariably unpleasant in one or more ways -- usually being stupid; unsavory sexual tastes sometimes come in as well.