Thesis with a side of butter
May. 29th, 2003 06:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mollyringleFor those who asked, my M.A. thesis is online now, but before you go read it start to finish, let me advise you of this: Unless you like reading about dry sociolinguistic theory, skip the first part of the introduction. That's the stuff I put in at the very last stage, to appease my professors. If I were you I'd just scroll past it until you get to "Historical background." That, at least, has some amusing quotes from the British about how shockingly ungraceful American speech is. *sticks tongue out fondly at our allies across the Atlantic*
Speaking of the Brits, I'm reading another P.G. Wodehouse novel lately because I needed to be cheered up (remember, it was only last month I finished the R.O.T.K. re-read, and that's always depressing). It's working quite well. I find myself giggling constantly. Your excerpt for the day:
'A woman has the right to expect the man she is about to marry to regard their troth as a sacred obligation that shall keep him as pure as a young knight who has dedicated himself to the quest of the Holy Grail. And I find you in a public restaurant, dancing with a creature with yellow hair, upsetting waiters, and
staggering about with pats of butter all over you.'
Here a sense of injustice stung Lord Dawlish. It was true that after his regrettable collision with Heinrich, the waiter, he had discovered butter upon his person, but it was only one pat. Claire had spoken as if he had been festooned with butter.
Pretty much the whole thing is like that, as are all his books that I've seen so far. He is so delightful.
Oh, but he can't write American accents worth beans. I'll pick on that another time, maybe. Still, I love him to pieces.
Speaking of the Brits, I'm reading another P.G. Wodehouse novel lately because I needed to be cheered up (remember, it was only last month I finished the R.O.T.K. re-read, and that's always depressing). It's working quite well. I find myself giggling constantly. Your excerpt for the day:
'A woman has the right to expect the man she is about to marry to regard their troth as a sacred obligation that shall keep him as pure as a young knight who has dedicated himself to the quest of the Holy Grail. And I find you in a public restaurant, dancing with a creature with yellow hair, upsetting waiters, and
staggering about with pats of butter all over you.'
Here a sense of injustice stung Lord Dawlish. It was true that after his regrettable collision with Heinrich, the waiter, he had discovered butter upon his person, but it was only one pat. Claire had spoken as if he had been festooned with butter.
Pretty much the whole thing is like that, as are all his books that I've seen so far. He is so delightful.
Oh, but he can't write American accents worth beans. I'll pick on that another time, maybe. Still, I love him to pieces.
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no subject
Date: 2003-05-29 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 09:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-29 07:50 pm (UTC)I've only watched the Jeeves and Wooster series but I've been meaning to go back and read some of the books that the series is based on. The excerpt you quoted is right in line with the tv show :)
no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 09:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-05-29 08:00 pm (UTC)That said, Stephen Fry as Jeeves in Jeeves & Wooster brightened up my lowly Sundays on PBS in the 1990s. He always makes my day. *Swoon*
You may want to check this out: Wodehouse saved my life.
Cheers!
no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 09:12 am (UTC)Yeah, you've got to love Stephen Fry. I was quite fond of him in Wilde, of course, too. (My appreciation has nothing to do with the naked-Jude-Law content. No, nothing at all.)
The thing with P.G.'s American characters is merely that they have a tendency to sound too British, to me. He doesn't seem to exaggerate Americanisms, necessarily, but rather has Yankees say stuff like "old chap" and "I'm dashed if I can" and "have you any money?" and other stuff that I doubt Americans have said since the 18th century. :) But, then, I haven't researched that specifically...
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Date: 2003-05-30 06:01 pm (UTC)Keep in mind that most of his American characters represent moneyed individuals from a land of plenty. He was caricaturizing the Gilded Age nouveau riche.
You should check out this essay.
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Date: 2003-05-31 12:45 pm (UTC)Cool article! I didn't know he became an American. Now I like him even more. :)
LoL
Date: 2003-05-29 10:53 pm (UTC)"In the beginning, the Universe was created. This made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad idea." (something like that--very close. Incidentally has nothing to do with the story itself, but ya know).
*grins* And if you've already read it, I apologize for the add in your LJ comment space. ^_^
Re: LoL
Date: 2003-05-30 09:17 am (UTC)You might also like Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, for more of the same surreal British charming silliness. (Plus, the angel/devil duo is so very slashable.)
no subject
Date: 2003-05-30 06:24 am (UTC)Brits rock
Date: 2003-05-30 11:30 am (UTC)Aw-shucks-ism
Date: 2003-05-30 12:15 pm (UTC)