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I actually like this a lot. He uses a conversational/informal style and it almost flows like a rehearsed piece of conversation: > it will always be rightly des
by vonklaus 11y ago
I actually like this a lot. He uses a conversational/informal style and it almost flows like a rehearsed piece of conversation:
> it will always be rightly described as primitive.
> . But it is upon those anonymous artists' shoulders — giants' shoulders — that
He starts a sentence with But and puts dashes in for pause effects. Does he go a bit purply in his prose towards the end? Sure. I think that is the difference between writing and conversation though. You can write well, explain your points and have a simple flow using the a comfortable tone. e.g. not forcing absurd 10cent works into your works and being unnecessarily complex. However, you can use a sentence structure like:
> The mercurial Spaniard himself declared: 'After Altamira, all is decadence.'
For dramatic effect. Author departs from his clean flow to qoute somebody who speaks differently than himself. And it looks like the mercurial spanaird talks funny which is underscored by the authors' change in tone.
- kijin 11y agoBesides, the author probably talks like that in real life, too, so he's already doing what PG says he should do. When you study ancient stuff a lot, it becomes part of your personality. You acquire a lot of choice quotes that over time become part of your everyday vocabulary. I love it when historians mix archaic language into their everyday speech for dramatic effect! It's vastly different from when ordinary people clumsily try their hand at archaism. Coming from someone who actually knows what they're saying, it feels so much more authentic and appropriate.
- tgb 11y agoI agree with your analysis of the first sentence, but the second still sounds awful and stilted to me! I'd rewrite as: > >The Upper Paleolithic cave art of Europe was a tradition that lasted for perhaps 20,000 years and it will always be rightly described as primitive. But it is upon those anonymous artists' shoulders — giants' shoulders — that later masters were able to stand. Picasso himself declared: 'After Altamira, all is decadence.' What's the point of "mercurial" or "Spaniard" being included? Irrelevant detail that, frankly, trips my tongue up when reading (and when my tongue trips, I stumble slightly even while silently reading).
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- maaarghk 11y agoYes, and furthermore Neil Oliver actually does speak like this[0], as many Scottish people will be able to instantly make fun of. [1] [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUutdlJ7V3M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUutdlJ7V3M [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afRE3RwLwaE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afRE3RwLwaE