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Are you sure it's not just generational misunderstanding? A lot of people describe dialogue from early movies in a similar way, just because it's difficult to
by beerandt 7y ago
Are you sure it's not just generational misunderstanding?
A lot of people describe dialogue from early movies in a similar way, just because it's difficult to understand. Especially the early noir stuff. They're speaking perfect English, but it might as well be a foreign language to most English speakers today.
- pasabagi 7y agoPretty sure. I read a lot, a lot of which is old. I enjoy a wide variety of writing styles.
- beerandt 7y agoYes, but reading old books doesn't usually capture the old vernacular well. Even if written (professionally) with that intent (Mice and Men, Flowers for Algernon) movies and audio were generally more accurate, (even if exaggerated) in that they're not subject to interpretation. The writing of an un-edited grandparent might be a more accurate account of this. Or not.
- pasabagi 7y agoYou might be right. I find a lot of old vernacular pretty objectionable on stylistic grounds - if I was going to describe it, I'd call it 'semi-colon heavy'. Lots of big, chunky sentences with curlicues. It's a hard style to like. Then again, Moby Dick is written in that style, and it's amazing. I think it's like beef wellington or lobster thermidor. It's amazing if it's done really well, but a mediocre one is horrible.