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.
1 comment:
Beautiful words...books are priceless and I love your thoughts on it! :)
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