Quote:
Originally Posted by hobnail
I really wanted to read Ivanhoe but the further back in time you go the more turgid the English becomes. Take for example this sentence from that book:
The phrase "a tough row to hoe" was never more appropriate.
I never did understand the section in Strunk and White's The Elements of Style about passive writing but after trying to re-read some of these old books I decided that that's what the problem was with them; nonstop passive writing. But my confusion with passive writing was due to Strunk and White's bad examples; see https://thecriticalreader.com/bad-advice-about-the-passive-voice-from-strunk-and-white/
So now I'll just call it turgid writing. |
That passage is hard to read and even harder to enjoy. That's why the movie versions are better. It's because of the (as I call it) old fashioned writing. If it is passive voice, then forget writing in passive voice if you want a book that's readable.
It's not the story that's a problem. It's the way it's written.
Dracula (for example) is dry and dull. It's told in letters and journal entries and is not scar at all. The book is dull.
Shakespeare is also an issue due to the writing and "Ye Old English" used back then. If that's the King's English, give me American English any time.