My One Constant Complaint...

[Thunder Bay Rush]

To my utter shock, I’ve actually read some books this winter, about 15 or so. (Maybe the constant 30 below weather had something to do with it.) Some murder mysteries, a few bios, some history, some basic prose stuff and a few non-fiction titles.

 

Maybe I’m just not too bright, but does anyone else hate it when authors use insanely huge words that the vast majority of the readers wouldn’t know their meaning? I started reading “The God Dellusion” and after 20 pages I had NO idea what the hell the dude was talking about. So I stopped reading it.

I just finished reading “Canada” by Richard Ford. Although there were few words I didn’t know the meaning of, finally, I thought, here is a book filled with simple “normal” words. And I read the entire book.

It’s at the point with me now, that whenever I read (most) books that it seems that the author’s main objective is to show to everyone how smart he/she is. All this does is ruin the book in my opinion.

For the record, I didn’t take literature in college. But, I’m not a cement-head either. Hemingway was known for his simple prose writing. Maybe I’ll start reading his books again…

[bathory]

the more cryptic your writing is, the smarter you are :)

[Rutlefan]

IMO, Dawkins should stick to writing about microbes; he's out of his depth otherwise.

 

I didn't formally study literature but I've read enough to know the greats -- Hemingway (as you mentioned), Faulkner, Steinbeck, etc etc -- used relatively simple prose of varying "elegance." Exceptions, like Pat Conroy or Thomas Hardy are exactly that...exceptions.

 

I've always liked Einstein's quote (it applies to anything, esp writing), "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."

[bathory]

Faulkner aint simple

[Rutlefan]

Ok, I admit I have no f-ing idea what I'm talking about. Nevertheless, against the context of the original post, I meant that he uses simple prose but very elegantly (elegant in that he did have that southern writer's penchant for long descriptions). So, I'm not saying his writing is simple (it's hard to imagine any good literature being simple in a broad sense). I just simply don't recall him using obscure words when a less obscure word would have worked just as well, or sacrificing economy to no good end (I've never been able to read Dickens).

 

Anyway, I'm an engineer who reads far more history than fiction, so I'll concede nearly any point re literature to someone who actually knows the subject. I should have used someone like Jack London instead.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Rutlefan

[ReRushed]

Print is dead.

[Rutlefan]

I'm a dinosaur then. Like my preference for older cars, I like grabbing old books off eBay, and I still prefer magazines to online articles if I can help it. Don't bother with newspapers anymore though, to your point. I've also never downloaded a song.

[bathory]

I pretty much download everything besides books

[Ancient Ways]

Famous quote that this thread needs:

 

Faulkner: "[Hemingway] has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

Hemingway: "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

 

[Rutlefan]

Famous quote that this thread needs:

 

Faulkner: "[Hemingway] has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

Hemingway: "Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

 

Yeah, citing faulkner did not support my argument (but then again, I read As I Lay Dying last year and never had to go to the dictionary, unlike the original poster reading Dawkins). If I'd stopped to think about it I would have thought of a better example... but then again, this IS a Rush forum, so I don't want to expend too much brain power .

[gangsterfurious]

I think some authors turn their works into showy attempts at being wordy. They think that the larger the words, the smarter they appear, and the more willing their reader may be to believe whatever point they are trying to make. Don't fall for it, it's a trap! Hehehe.

 

(Or keep your dictionary near by.)

Edited March 15, 2014 by gangsterfurious

[Rhyta]

Isn't reading supposed to be something that helps us stretch our intellectual "muscles " once in a while? There is a need for books that are entertaining and those that make you think. I am a book lover so I guess this just makes sense to me.

[ThatLightInYourEyes]

I think some authors turn their works into showy attempts at being wordy. They think that the larger the words, the smarter they appear, and the more willing their reader may be to believe whatever point they are trying to make. Don't fall for it, it's a trap! Hehehe.

 

(Or keep your dictionary near by.)

 

This. Also, if you think The God Delusion is tough, try The Demon-Haunted World. It's technically the same book, but written long before the idea was popular.

[Tombstone Mountain]

I think some authors turn their works into showy attempts at being wordy. They think that the larger the words, the smarter they appear, and the more willing their reader may be to believe whatever point they are trying to make. Don't fall for it, it's a trap! Hehehe.

 

(Or keep your dictionary near by.)

 

This. Also, if you think The God Delusion is tough, try The Demon-Haunted World. It's technically the same book, but written long before the idea was popular.

way awesome sigpic...OMG I've started a cult

[Principled Man]

I think some authors turn their works into showy attempts at being wordy. They think that the larger the words, the smarter they appear, and the more willing their reader may be to believe whatever point they are trying to make. Don't fall for it, it's a trap! Hehehe.

 

(Or keep your dictionary near by.)

 

This. Also, if you think The God Delusion is tough, try The Demon-Haunted World. It's technically the same book, but written long before the idea was popular.

 

The Demon-Haunted World is GREAT.... :haz: I wish I could have saved Carl Sagan, so he could keep writing such wonderful books....

[2112Starman]

Isn't reading supposed to be something that helps us stretch our intellectual "muscles " once in a while? There is a need for books that are entertaining and those that make you think. I am a book lover so I guess this just makes sense to me.

 

Vocabulary should not be the basis on which we judge books. It is not just the words that either entertain you or make you think.

 

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

[goose]

I'm in the minority, but I tend to like rich, dense language in my reading. Plot rarely keeps my attention.

[The Analog Grownup]

I don't mind long difficult words. To me it's just a chance to expand my vocabulary. But I do think some authors get so entangled in their long and ostentatious sentences that they lose whatever they tried to convey. I've had many books that I had to give up on simply because I felt "talked down to". Then I can't be in a position to learn.

 

On the other hand, too simple a language and I get bored.

[Principled Man]

There is a fine line between writing with style and intelligence and being pretentious.....especially if your audience is the general public. Too many big words and overly-technical vocabulary will turn off the common reader very quickly.

 

Douglas Adams, for example. His "Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy" series was brilliant, but his style of writing was that of very long sentences and lots of technical jargon. Very difficult for some, hilarious for others.

[Cyclonus X-1]

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

 

Actually, now that I've seen this "rule," I'm going to try to forget it as quickly as possible. Authors need to be discreet when it comes to word choice (it's a lesson that lots of skilled young writers have to learn), but I'm opposed to thinking in absolutes. If a large/uncommon word works better dynamically or conveys my meaning more effectively than an "everyday" one, I won't hesitate to go the "pompous" route--"laymen" be damned! ;)

[GeddysMullet]

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

 

Actually, now that I've seen this "rule," I'm going to try to forget it as quickly as possible. Authors need to be discreet when it comes to word choice (it's a lesson that lots of skilled young writers have to learn), but I'm opposed to thinking in absolutes. If a large/uncommon word works better dynamically or conveys my meaning more effectively than an "everyday" one, I won't hesitate to go the "pompous" route--"laymen" be damned! ;)

 

As a fellow logophile, I concur in perpetuity

[Rhyta]

Isn't reading supposed to be something that helps us stretch our intellectual "muscles " once in a while? There is a need for books that are entertaining and those that make you think. I am a book lover so I guess this just makes sense to me.

 

Vocabulary should not be the basis on which we judge books. It is not just the words that either entertain you or make you think.

 

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

 

I can't completely agree here, I learned how our language works through my reading, building my vocabulary in the process and for me that was an enjoyable experience. Yes big words can be a turnoff to some and seem pedantic, like someone else said above. Yet today we seem to be trying to make everything fast and simple and we all know that isn't always good for us. Just take a look back at reading lists for students over the last 40 years, things that are being taught now in high school were often taught in 6th grade. I have learned a lot from books that challenged me and some I even came to like in spite of the language..Count of Monte Cristo for example.

[goose]

Isn't reading supposed to be something that helps us stretch our intellectual "muscles " once in a while? There is a need for books that are entertaining and those that make you think. I am a book lover so I guess this just makes sense to me.

 

Vocabulary should not be the basis on which we judge books. It is not just the words that either entertain you or make you think.

 

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

 

I can't completely agree here, I learned how our language works through my reading, building my vocabulary in the process and for me that was an enjoyable experience. Yes big words can be a turnoff to some and seem pedantic, like someone else said above. Yet today we seem to be trying to make everything fast and simple and we all know that isn't always good for us. Just take a look back at reading lists for students over the last 40 years, things that are being taught now in high school were often taught in 6th grade. I have learned a lot from books that challenged me and some I even came to like in spite of the language..Count of Monte Cristo for example.

Meanwhile, sixth graders today are reading Diary of a Whimpy Kid.

[ThatLightInYourEyes]

Isn't reading supposed to be something that helps us stretch our intellectual "muscles " once in a while? There is a need for books that are entertaining and those that make you think. I am a book lover so I guess this just makes sense to me.

 

Vocabulary should not be the basis on which we judge books. It is not just the words that either entertain you or make you think.

 

Never forget George Orwell's second rule of writing:

 

Never use a long word where a short one will do.

 

I can't completely agree here, I learned how our language works through my reading, building my vocabulary in the process and for me that was an enjoyable experience. Yes big words can be a turnoff to some and seem pedantic, like someone else said above. Yet today we seem to be trying to make everything fast and simple and we all know that isn't always good for us. Just take a look back at reading lists for students over the last 40 years, things that are being taught now in high school were often taught in 6th grade. I have learned a lot from books that challenged me and some I even came to like in spite of the language..Count of Monte Cristo for example.

Meanwhile, sixth graders today are reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

 

Don't get me started on the state of public schooling nowadays. Most of my reading as a kid was done despite my education rather than because of it, and now things are far worse.

[Hukos]

As someone who is in the process of trying to write a book, I usually just use whatever word comes to mind. I'm not using "abhor" instead of "hate" because I'm trying to be snooty, but just because it naturally came to me when I was writing.