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  • The Elegant Variation is "Fowler’s (1926, 1965) term for the inept writer’s overstrained efforts at freshness or vividness of expression. Prose guilty of elegant variation calls attention to itself and doesn’t permit its ideas to seem naturally clear. It typically seeks fancy new words for familiar things, and it scrambles for synonyms in order to avoid at all costs repeating a word, even though repetition might be the natural, normal thing to do: The audience had a certain bovine placidity, instead of The audience was as placid as cows. Elegant variation is often the rock, and a stereotype, a cliché, or a tired metaphor the hard place between which inexperienced or foolish writers come to grief. The familiar middle ground in treating these homely topics is almost always the safest. In untrained or unrestrained hands, a thesaurus can be dangerous."
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January 08, 2008

WRITER TATS

Although the gang at Abebooks failed to talk to our favorite inked author, their piece on tattooed writers remains worth checking out.

Irving, indeed, has two tattoos. A maple leaf can be found on his left shoulder - the author of The World According to Garp and The Hotel New Hampshire is an American but he married a Canadian, and the leaf is for her. On Irving's right arm is a wrestling mat - of course, wrestling is his great passion and a recurring theme in his novels.

He became interested in tattoos while researching A Widow For One Year. Irving then conducted extensive research into tattoo culture for Until I Find You, visiting dozens of tattoo parlours. The central character, Jack, in Until I Find You has a tattoo artist for a mother and a tattoo addict for a father.

Posted by at 10:17 AM in Hors catégorie |

| | |

Comments

Jim

Asking someone what their tattoos "mean" always seems like a good idea--until you ask them.

Posted by: Jim | January 08, 2008 at 10:42 AM

Corey Redekop

I think authors are like everyone else; some of us have an inate desire to scar our bodies. in fact, authors are possibly more likely a group than others to go under the needle, as we are typically insecure, yet feel a deep need to express ourselves.

I, myself, have the cover of my novel Shelf Monkey tattooed on my arm. Just in case every copy disappears, or if I never publish another, I'll always have it with me.

Posted by: Corey Redekop | January 08, 2008 at 02:38 PM

Jim

I'm calling your bluff, Corey. Link?

Posted by: Jim | January 08, 2008 at 03:09 PM

John Shannon

Hell, I have the entire text of my first novel tattooed, in tiny Hagopian print, on my left big toe. Hagopian? See the Museum of Jurassic Technology.

Posted by: John Shannon | January 08, 2008 at 05:24 PM

Corey Redekop

OK, the bluff is called.

Link to pic at http://www.openbooktoronto.com/gallery/tattooed_author_flexes_his_writing_arm

Posted by: Corey Redekop | January 09, 2008 at 06:54 AM

Jim

Very nice! I went the opposite route and asked my tattoo artist to illustrate the cover to Big Lonesome.

Posted by: Jim | January 09, 2008 at 10:00 AM

Corey Redekop

Interestin twist. I'll remember that for my next novel.

Posted by: Corey Redekop | January 09, 2008 at 11:14 AM

JJA

If you're interested in literary tattoos, there's a group dedicated to them on livejournal:

http://community.livejournal.com/literarytattoos

Posted by: JJA | January 10, 2008 at 07:28 AM

JMW

I can't imagine a wrestling mat making for a comprehensible tattoo.

Posted by: JMW | January 11, 2008 at 02:45 PM

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