Thread: An Observation: The New Breed of Authors Are Using Obscure Words - Page After Page

Interesting discussion, Zip-It's been decades since the last time I read The Stand, and a few years years since I read both Krakauer's Into Thin Air or Into the Wild (which my good buddy who also teaches AP English Language and Composition teaches). The Stand and other Stephen King was my guilty pleasure in high school. I don't recall being annoyed by the vocabulary in any of them, but as I said, it's been quite a few years.

I don't get to read nearly as much book-length contemporary fiction or non-fiction as I would like because my teaching focus is more on essays, long-form investigative journalism and cultural commentary that I can revolve around a more traditional anchor novel like Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities or Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, both of which contain some obscure words, especially Dickens. So you have probably just read much more contemporary stuff than I have to notice this trend.

Do writers from many eras including our own often show off their fancy 10-dollar words that no one will ever use? Absolutely. But another disturbing trend that I am noticing is that even our smartest students in Honors and AP English classes in some cases have shockingly limited vocabulary, probably because they just don't read unless its' assigned by a teacher, and even then there's always Spark Notes (which, don't even get me started!).

Here's another interesting exercise that's kinda related (though I know you're mostly talking about fiction). Take a stack of news magazines from the 50's and 60's, and one from this time period, and compare the writing. It's almost like two different languages. Certainly the vocabulary and lexile levels have been simplified for an audience that would generally rather be titillated and entertained than challenged.

I'll keep an eye out for the trend you're describing.

Very interesting read, ZZ

I'm not big on reading much, anymore. But I can understand what your saying, and I wouldn't consider myself all that educated, but more of a " jack of all trades "

It'd be similar to reading a book, written in Ebonics. Only those that wrote it, would understand it.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

Interesting discussion, Zip-It's been decades since the last time I read The Stand, and a few years years since I read both Krakauer's Into Thin Air or Into the Wild (which my good buddy who also teaches AP English Language and Composition teaches). The Stand and other Stephen King was my guilty pleasure in high school. I don't recall being annoyed by the vocabulary in any of them, but as I said, it's been quite a few years.

I don't get to read nearly as much book-length contemporary fiction or non-fiction as I would like because my teaching focus is more on essays, long-form investigative journalism and cultural commentary that I can revolve around a more traditional anchor novel like Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities or Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, both of which contain some obscure words, especially Dickens. So you have probably just read much more contemporary stuff than I have to notice this trend.

Do writers from many eras including our own often show off their fancy 10-dollar words that no one will ever use? Absolutely. But another disturbing trend that I am noticing is that even our smartest students in Honors and AP English classes in some cases have shockingly limited vocabulary, probably because they just don't read unless its' assigned by a teacher, and even then there's always Spark Notes (which, don't even get me started!).

Here's another interesting exercise that's kinda related (though I know you're mostly talking about fiction). Take a stack of news magazines from the 50's and 60's, and one from this time period, and compare the writing. It's almost like two different languages. Certainly the vocabulary and lexile levels have been simplified for an audience that would generally rather be titillated and entertained than challenged.

I'll keep an eye out for the trend you're describing.

Good points. "The Stand" was not mentioned because of erudite vernacular, but more because it was a very LONG read. Over 800 pages. And many (IMO) were fluff not related to the core plot that I wanted to get back to frequently during that reading. I never had any issues with Stephen King's writing with regard to using obscure words. But some of his writings tend to be a bit long in the tooth.

Krakauer's "Into The Wild" was different. There was one chapter where I found myself looking up a word on every page. Good grief. Lucky I was eReading, so I could just look them up quickly. But that was irritating, and removed much of the pleasure I normally would have received by being absorbed by the story. When you are constantly looking up words you do not know the meaning of, it ruins the reading experience for me. As I posted earlier, reading then becomes a chore, rather than a luxury.

Also, Krakauer's "Into The Wild" had a total chapter (a LONG chapter) that did not relate to the Chris McCandless story at all. It was a chapter about Krakauer's personal journey into the wild, unrelated to McCandless. As we discussed earlier in the thread, this total diversionary fluff in literature is not my cup of tea. I almost abandoned the read because of this, but suffered through to the end of that off-beat chapter and then continued the book.

This is a funny video related to the topic. The three little pigs in shakespearean english.

A long time ago George Orwell suggested these rules:

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Originally Posted by tintin

This is a funny video related to the topic. The three little pigs in shakespearean english.

HA! That was funny and amazing! Thanks for posting the link. I enjoyed that.

That reminds me, I dabble in rare book collecting. Not that much. I enjoy collecting rare books, but on a very small scale. My most valuable book so far is "Lays of Ancient Rome" by Thomas Babington Macaulay. The copy I have is from the late 1800s. Some may know one passage from this work from the Tom Cruise movie, "Oblivion" where he reads the excerpt "Horatius at the Gate" to the alien.

This book is not quite as challenging to me as reading Shakespeare, but given when it was written, in England, it was a challenge. However, over the years, I've grown to really love the book.

Originally Posted by welshwizard

A long time ago George Orwell suggested these rules:

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

I was unaware of this (as far as I can remember, anyway). So thank you! I really like this. And it does not surprise me that Orwell wrote it.

The Stand, revised with previously deleted content restored, is just over 1,000 pages. The additional content was restored to help tie in to the Dark Tower series.

Originally Posted by tintin

This is a funny video related to the topic. The three little pigs in shakespearean english.

LOL! This takes me all the way back to elementary school, when I first heard/learned the "erudite" version:

Three decrepit rodents, three decrepit rodents
Observe how they motivate, observe how they motivate
They all pursued the agrarian's spouse
Who amputated their appendages with a culinary article
Did you ever observe such a spectacle in your existence
As three decrepit rodents

Sixty years on...

That was an awesome video. Thanks for sharing it.
I shall go forth and inundate those of similar mirth with repetitive extolling of its virtue and regale those of less prominent whimsical dalliances with its address of domicile to aid their delineative evolution...
Hehe.
Good insights on authors of today vs yesterday as well gents.
I used to read voraciously as a lad, was grounded a lot..
Tease my wife that marriage leads to illiteracy. Haven’t been able to read a book in bed since I got married..