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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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« THURSDAY MARGINALIA: THE "ON THE ROAD" EDITION | Main | TEV GIVEAWAY: THE WAR AGAINST CLICHE »

May 08, 2008

TOUR DISPATCH: SEATTLE

Checking in very quickly from a pleasant cafe near the University of Washington on my only two-fer day of the tour - I had morning event in Pleasanton and I read tonight here in Seattle.  But I wanted to send you over to the Powells Blog, where I recently answered a question sent over by the wonderful folks there - namely, tell us something you're passionate about.  My answer - which has nothing to do with books - is up there now.

Elsewhere, Time Out New York gives Harry a little bit of love.

Finally, two items of note.  Next week, as I am tooling around the US, TEV guest host/reviewer/interviewer Jim Ruland has a load of interviews, reviews and other surprises planned.  Those who know him will attest that Jim always shows you a good time, so please do make him welcome.

Also, tomorrow's giveaway (yes, I will manage them even from the road) will address the Martin Amis question that continues to roil the backblog, so do come on by.

Posted by TEV at 05:48 PM in Harry, Revised |

Comments

great pleasure meeting you today at towne center books in pleasanton.

-a small miracle, really, that i was able to participate in the event..

congratulations on your 1st novel -the reading and conversation, q & a: stimulating in all the write ways

most grateful to add harry revised to my personally inscribed book collection

look forward to reading your work, and will no doubt be posting favorite passages on my blog

spreading the word for those who couldn't attend today, that your interview with jim ott will air on "in a word" TV30 in June (so you're here even though you're not)

THANKS for including towne center books/pleasanton on your tour (you must come back for the pooch parade in august)

"to great stories"
love, ~sandra kay, ttgp

Posted by: sandra kay, ttgp | May 08, 2008 at 08:46 PM

Will you be addressing--or have you already and I missed it--the debacle of last Sunday's Times review?

Posted by: hpp | May 09, 2008 at 11:23 AM

hpp, I've given a comment on the review to both Gawker and the LA Times, and I'm content to let that be my final word on the subject.

Posted by: TEV | May 10, 2008 at 10:35 AM

Just found the two quotes... good taste and judgment, Mark. But one thing I don't get: "a European upbringing" yet a Queens NY childhood; how does that work?

Posted by: HPP | May 10, 2008 at 02:46 PM

Yeah, I thought he might have been clearer about that. I'm first generation American - parents are Hungarian and Austrian so, though raised in Queens, was very much in the European manner - which led to no end of difficulty with the kids in school.

Posted by: TEV | May 10, 2008 at 04:39 PM

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