Originally Posted by Ben Thornton
Sure, but the OP was about more recent works, I thought. Where is the evidence that contractions are generally lacking?
Looking at Pride and Prejudice, you're right that contractions are rare (but "se'ennight" was new to me). Not all authors of that time are the same.
These things follow fashions, and evolve. I remember reading in Lewis Carroll, things like sha'n't - which you don't see today.
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