From: bowman@montana.com   
      
   On Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:20:31 +0100, Carlos E.R. wrote:   
      
   > On 2025-12-30 02:46, rbowman wrote:   
   >> On Mon, 29 Dec 2025 09:53:11 -0800, John Ames wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> And closer to our day, writers of the 19th century had a much heavier   
   >>> bent towards the fancy stuff than we do; elaborate language in prose   
   >>> is more disdained than not, these days. I have mixed feelings on that   
   >>> - better examples of the old style (Poe, for instance, Lovecraft in   
   >>> his better moments) can really absorb you in their dense, weird   
   >>> language. On the other hand, it can easily go awry and turn into a   
   >>> sesquipedalian slog (Lovecraft in his worse moments, a host of lesser   
   >>> authors whose names we've long since forgotten.) It's a tricky   
   >>> business; a minimalist style is harder to go wrong with, but it   
   >>> forgoes a lot of opporunities for beauty, and mere minimalism doesn't   
   >>> necessarily equal elegance.   
   >>   
   >> I've been trying to read Spencer. He's not fancy but he does go on and   
   >> on and on. 19th century people must have had more time.  His points are   
   >> good but as he delves into the zygomatic arch of the King Charles   
   >> spaniel my eyes get glassy.   
   >   
   > Yes, of course they had more time. They didn't have TV. Not even radio.   
      
   More patience, too, apparently. There was a rumor Dickens was paid by the   
   word and wanted to maximize his paycheck but few authors are as long-   
   winded as he was.   
      
   The thread reminded me of Lovecraft and I downloaded 'The Shunned House'   
   last night via the Libby app. It's a Project Gutenberg eBook. He certainly   
   had a way with words. Just his description of the house gives a sense of   
   eeriness that Hollywood can't achieve with CGI and special effects.   
      
   Libby also had a 6-part series of audiobooks that might be the H.P.   
   Lovecraft Historical Society's reading. I don't often do audiobooks but I   
   might give them a try.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)