Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: "The Light: Shelby's Addendum" AVAILABLE NOW


6 Dec 1995 14:30:51 GMT

In article <Ykklq3K00WB5BTJ7Yz@andrew.cmu.edu>,
Andrew C. Plotkin <erkyrath+@CMU.EDU> wrote:
>jholder@nmsu.edu (John Holder) writes:
>> Martha Kuehl (mlkuehl@students.wisc.edu) mentioned in rec.arts.int-fiction tha\
>> t::
>>
>> > A strangeness has fallen.
>>
>> The game sounds interesting, but I hate this line. It makes the grammarian
>> in me cringe.
>
>Whereas I like language to be used for effect, not correctness. The
>line above gets my attention, and it's a hell of a lot better than
>using cliches. (Uh, sorry :)

(The following isn't intended as a flame or even as criticism of Martha's
announcement or of the game)

IMNSHO, sentences like "A strangeness has fallen" are cliches, and
rather worn ones at that. Perhaps that particular combination of words
isn't very usual, but I have the feeling that certain types of fantasy
literature - and especially the cover texts of said literature.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that the use of metaphors - such
as a strangeness falling - that were at one time fresh and original,
sooner or later will degenerate into mannerism. And that the
particular form of the sentence "<abstract noun> has <concrete verb>"
is common enough in book titles and announcements to be regarded as a
cliche.

Or perhaps I'm just talking total rubbish :-).

This notwithstanding, I think the announcement sounded very
interesting and I'm looking forward to playing the game (when I get
any free time :-( ).

BTW, I can't see what's ungrammatical about "A strangeness has fallen".
Surely it's grammatically correct?