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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:12 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:02 pm
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It's kinda like the thing I mentioned in the graphic novels thread a while ago: People are dumbing everything down. No one wants to read books anymore. They want movies, TV shows, graphic novels, SparkNotes, whatever other shortcuts there are. This counts for vocabulary, syntax, details, and everything else, too. Quick, fun reads are what sell these days.
I know I prefer them. When I read something that's not for class, I generally want entertainment. There are exceptions to this, like when I want to read something to learn. But when reading for fun, I don't want to have to think about it as much. I don't mind the older works with bigger words and everything. I can usually figure out the meaning of words from the context. 'Though I will admit that overly-detailed books bore me. I like being able to imagine my own settings, rather than being told every detail about it.
Anyway. To summarize: Yes, the type of books that sell now are simpler, with easier, more well-known words that pretty much anyone who's gone to school can understand.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:26 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:50 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:38 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:43 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:59 am
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:37 pm
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Minerva the Whore 4 Books
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:00 pm
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Very good topic! smile
Western cultures, like the US and UK, are behind in math and science compared to the Asian countries, so to compete less emphasis is put on English and the arts, and more is put on sciences. This a sad reason for the downgrade in vocabulary. rolleyes
A brighter reason that books are simpler now is that it used to be that only wealthy people got educated (even in Tolkien's time free public education stopped at about 13 years-old because the peasants needed to work to support their families), hence books were written for just one class of society. 3nodding It's great that now books are made for everyone.
Most modern authors write with common speech, but those like George Martin and Margaret Weis do not. Their sentence structure isn't as complex as Tolkien because we speak slightly differently now (speech changes over time, look at Shakespeare!) though their vocabulary is as advanced.
I find that I enjoy "difficult" and "easy" books equally. I seek interesting characters, unique plots usually involving sorcery, and plentiful dialogue (preferably with at least one witty comment every chapter). Any book, difficult or easy, can have this. I heart the series Artemis Fowl by Colfer and Liveship Traders by Hobb - one is simple and the other is difficult - and the fact that they're written differently doesn't matter to me.
I'll admit that in more complicated novels I need to pay closer attention becaue of the amount of details. A minor character or location that I haven't read about for five long chapters will be mentioned again and I won't remember who or what it is. gonk Yes, this is annoying, however, easy books irritate me too. I'll read it and think, "Why do you ALWAYS say 'he said' or 'she said?' For God's sake, there are more words for speaking in our language besides 'said!' Even if you just changed it up by writing 'she replied' and not something complex like 'she cautiously elaborated' it would help! I can't handle the same damn term over and over again!!!" scream
Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I like them both...Wow, I've certainly been typing for a long time! sweatdrop
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 3:15 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:20 pm
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Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:34 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 12:49 am
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I definitely notice the difference between the two. And the difference in mental capacity needed to read them. If I am reading some extremely dumbed-down preteen crap (dangerous), I can sing, watch TV, and hold a conversation. If reading... Jane Eyre, persay, I can barely listen to my Zune. It certainly takes time to get used to reading the old style books, but once you get into the mindset, they become easier to comprehend, and you can acquire a much larger vocabulary than if you sat around reading the Clique books. Oh, God, Clique books. They make me want to gouge out my eyes.
Anyway, about the "said" thing. If you read an old classic, and I will use Jane Austen for a reference, you will see words like "called out", "repeatedly exclaimed," and "mused" right there alongside your plain old "said." I think the reason fancier words are being brought down is because of a lot of horrible teen angsty emo vampire writers trying to imitate that sort of complex writing style. And failing miserably...
And I lost my train of thought. So I'll shut up now.
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:33 am
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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 8:40 pm
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