On Books and Words and Things.

Oh, the power of words! Who among us has not read a book, novel, or excerpt that has thrilled our hearts right to the very core on account of the delightful twists and turns of words, or the perfection of a description? Do answer. If you are one of those poor people who have never been spine-tingled by the words of a book, let me recommend to you The Great Gatsby. F Scott Fitzgerald is a linguistic illusionist; able to say beautifully what may often be simply devastating or tragic. Here is a small example of this deliciousness;

“There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.”

Isn't it just glorious? I like to re-read segments such as this one and just drink in the darkly gorgeous aura of it all.

Description and clever turn of phrase can do much to turn what might be a bare, uninviting statement of fact into a quite attractive paragraph. This is an example of my own composition; what could be said as this, 'Estella and Mr. Carmody had a face-off and made all the guests feel uncomfortable before she told him to go.', could be said more aptly, and in a vastly more beautiful way, like this, 'The veil of timid wistfulness melted off Estella's eyes as Mr. Carmody met her gaze. All other eyes in the room were compelled to examine the carpet as the stare threatened to become audible. The company had never beheld Estella in such a way before and this unanticipated intrusion on the night's activities filled the room with a cumbersome- even oppressive- expectancy. Not one of the guests had known that this part of Estella had existed, and yet here she was; once perceived as delicate of stature and mind, now confronting and unnapproachable. None knew how to react; none wanted to. Silence held. The textures and patterns of the carpet intrigued all the more as a hundred ears pleaded for a sound. Finally, Estella's mouth opened and her voice, proud and deep, commanded, "Go."'

See? Words. Words. Words. I love them for this reason; that when used correctly by the author, they can invoke such feelings as could not have been felt otherwise.