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/lit/ - Literature

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7838637 No.7838637 [Reply] [Original]

Do you think he legitimately just pulls these obscure words out of his ass, or does he go through his writing with a thesaurus for the lulz? I liked the novel overall but his word choice was fucking unbearable, it was like he was deliberately picking the most archaic and obscure synonym he could possibly find for any and every given adjective. A couple of words I couldn't even find in the OED, god knows if he just invented them or if they're borrowed from Middle English or what. What the fuck was he thinking?

>puissant
>puissant
>PUISSANT

>> No.7838640

I dunno. I don't read commies.

>> No.7838645

Puissant is not obscure. You'll have to do better than that.

>> No.7838652

>>7838645
It sure as hell is. I knew what it meant before reading the book, but it's awkward seeing it multiple times on a page when "powerful" or "magical" or even some sensory description of how it felt oh so PUISSANT would be better. But no, fuck you, reader.

I'm googling around because I'm asspained, somebody compiled a list for another of his novels:
>eructation
>sciolist
>aspis
>gonoph
>teratology
>punter
>comprador
>perisaltic
>oleaginous
>grot
>spiv
>wide-boy
>nous
>sortilege
>bathetic
>contumely
>zoetrope
>oneiric
>argot
>chary
>pusillanimous
>chthonic
>autopoiesis

To name a few.

>> No.7838654

>>7838652
https://wordweary.wordpress.com/2007/12/31/china-mievilles-perdido-street-station/

>> No.7838667

>>7838652
>sciolist

apt way to describe the average /lit/izen

>> No.7838690

>>7838652
That's better. Thanks for informing me of another author to avoid.

There are only so many books to be read in a lifetime.

>> No.7838697

>>7838652
Half of those are obvious if you're familiar with the Greeks.

>> No.7838700

>>7838697
>implying /lit/ reads

>> No.7838874

>>7838697
>obvious
>if you know enough Greek to recognize the cognate

anon, plz

>> No.7839032
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7839032

>>7838690
>I won't read this book cuz it's full of big words!

I'm sure you'll find something more appropriate for your skills anon. Try pic related.

>> No.7839039

I got that feeling too, like maybe he's trying to educate his audience or something. It reads as awkward and contrived.

>> No.7839042

>>7838652
>being this mad about half-obscure word choice
>doesn't even know punter

Maybe you should go back to /tv/

>> No.7839045

>>7839039 ... although skew-whiff? Dosser? Punter? Zoetrope, nous... pretty unremarkable words. I'd use these in every day speech and not think twice about it.