Hi friends!
I'm Lindsay Euans and I am in my second semester here at OSUM. I am majoring in English and intend to get a minor in Communications during my time at Ohio State. I'm 19 years old and live in Marysville, Ohio. I think the fun fact I shared with all of you is that my favorite TV show is Gilmore Girls. I have watched it all the way through at least four times haha. I recommend it on Netflix! I also like to read books, and am hoping to get some more insight into the process of creative writing during this class.
The term archaic language, which is language that provokes an earlier time, has been helpful to me so far this semester. In the Four Genres textbook it is quoted, "...remember that a poem making heavy use of deliberately old-fashioned words is more likely to sound like a bad King Arthur movie than a dazzling work of literature" (50). I think it is important to note, that poetry and really all literature does not need to use a heavy amount of large, more complex, and scholarly vocabulary in order to tell a meaningful story. If, especially young, new writers try to use too much archaic language, it could ruin the writing, and the room for potential beyond just archaic language. Some archaic language is necessary and can enhance writing, but there should be a clear line of when it is enough. This has been a good reminder to me when I am writing not only in this class but for others, to watch the amount of archaic language I try to incorporate.
I hope to have a great semester with all of you!
Hey Lindsay, I totally agree with you on common language. I totally agree with you that forced archaic language can kill a poem. It really reminds me of Wordsworth's philosophy (since we're both in Brit Lit 2) that poetry needs to use the language of the common man. I think of all the works we've written and read in this class, the most resonating poems have used modern and common language.
ReplyDeleteLindsay, Max, I do agree with both of your points. However I think that if done well, writing with archaic language can really lend to conveying a sense of setting, and the old-timely speech can even be fun once you understand enough of the words to follow along. That isn't to say that common language isn't usually preferable, but in the proper circumstance I find that I enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if used too much, it's like putting too much seasoning on food. You won't like it because it's overwhelming.
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