Knygatin Wrote:
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> Cathbad Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I always assumed indented paragraphs
> > (sans a space in between) were a European
> thing,
> > whereas block paragraphs were an American
> thing?
> > But maybe not? (Block paragraphs are a common
> > feature of work emails over here).
>
> Every paperback and hardcover I have read, both
> English and American, every book, have indented
> paragraphs (except the very first paragraph in a
> novel or short story). If there wasn't indenture
> in conversation text, for example, it would be
> impossible to follow who is saying what.

What are your feelings about unconventional punctuation that some authors seem to insist on?

Me, I've never seen that it *adds* anything, but at the same time, after I got used to it, it didn't actually impair my enjoyment, either.

Seems to me like a non-issue, perhaps a statement of ego as much as aesthetics.

>
> And an e-book is after all supposed to represent a
> book, not the structure of email communication.

It's a compromise; it's not an either/or. A lot like mass-publication softbacks as compared to premium hardbacks.

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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Sawfish Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> What are your feelings about unconventional
> punctuation that some authors seem to insist on?
>
> Me, I've never seen that it *adds* anything, but
> at the same time, after I got used to it, it
> didn't actually impair my enjoyment, either.
>

Actually, I don't know what that is. It doesn't ring a bell for me. Something connected with modern writers perhaps? I don't read much of modern writers.

Cormac McCarthy is a good example. He uses no quotation marks.

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A dash (instead of quotation marks) is a very 19th century European thing. Maybe French? The Irish writer James Joyce wrote all his books using a dash instead of quotation marks, with the result that his many imitators do the same. Nowadays, I think it's meant to indicate to the reader that this is a serious 'literary' work. Personally I don't like it, but (as with anything) you get used to it.

Browsing the internet suggests block paragraphs may have become more popular due to how text is formatted by computers/computer applications, ie, most blogs and websites use block paragraphs rather than indentation - this website being a case in point!

McCarthy uses no marks to indicate direct speech; it's all contextual. I don't think he accomplishes anything by this, but it's easier to get used to than I had thought.

Still, to me it comes off as gimmicky.

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sawfish Wrote:
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> Sorry that I failed to replay earlier, Knygatin.
> To my idiosyncratic ideas of politeness, that's
> rude, and I don't want to be rude.
>
> If you want used non-backlit, in Kindle format,
> this is a decent choice:
>

Ha ha, nothing rude there, and no obligations to me. ;) Thanks a lot for all the information about e-readers you gave me in the Weird Folklore thread. If I can't make up my mind about which one to settle for from that, I never will. Not a 100% sure though I really want an e-reader. As mentioned before, I enjoy reading digital pdf books (all epub and mobi can be converted too) on my computer screen, which is good size. When travelling, I usually bring a paperback, or light book, along; I can smell the paper too.


>
> ... two things make
> e-readers worth having: you can get many free
> books online, just spontaneously, and I'm a real
> tightwad--as I small kid, I thought Scrooge McDuck
> was cool, far cooler than Superman, Sgt. Rock,
> etc...
>

Then you're not a bibliophile, I guess? Loving books as objects in themselves. From time to time I have payed a lot for certain books I really want to own. Or sacrificed time, searching for them.


For those who are loosing sight, I'd also recommend audio books. Not all are good, but if you find a good narrator it is a real pleasure. In ways, even better than reading.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Sawfish Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Sorry that I failed to replay earlier,
> Knygatin.
> > To my idiosyncratic ideas of politeness, that's
> > rude, and I don't want to be rude.
> >
> > If you want used non-backlit, in Kindle format,
> > this is a decent choice:
> >
>
> Ha ha, nothing rude there, and no obligations to
> me. ;) Thanks a lot for all the information about
> e-readers you gave me in the Weird Folklore
> thread. If I can't make up my mind about which one
> to settle for from that, I never will. Not a 100%
> sure though I really want an e-reader. As
> mentioned before, I enjoy reading digital pdf
> books (all epub and mobi can be converted too) on
> my computer screen, which is good size. When
> travelling, I usually bring a paperback, or light
> book, along; I can smell the paper too.
>
>
> >
> > ... two things make
> > e-readers worth having: you can get many free
> > books online, just spontaneously, and I'm a
> real
> > tightwad--as I small kid, I thought Scrooge
> McDuck
> > was cool, far cooler than Superman, Sgt. Rock,
> > etc...
> >
>
> Then you're not a bibliophile, I guess? Loving
> books as objects in themselves.

Yes, that's correct, and it occurred to me that for biliophiles, e-readers aenot nearly as attractive.

> From time to time
> I have payed a lot for certain books I really want
> to own. Or sacrificed time, searching for them.
>
>
> For those who are loosing sight, I'd also
> recommend audio books. Not all are good, but if
> you find a good narrator it is a real pleasure. In
> ways, even better than reading.

Thanks!

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To past the time, I'd like to ask the derivation of the members' posting names--their "handles".

Mine is simple...

I saw the movie Das Boot in the theater when it came out. I was strangely taken with the image of the laughing, playful sawfish on the conning tower of the U-96, the titular submarine. What got me about it was that it was rollicking, humorous, and in the film there was virtually nothing in the lives of the crew, or the function of the boat, that was in any conceivable way lighthearted or jolly, and the bitter irony was something I liked, so...

[www.themodellingnews.com]

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
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Thank you. I thought 'Sawfish' was a humorous affirmation. Like, that you can effectively saw apart other posters' arguments. It is a very energetic image.

Knygatin is a misspelling, it should have been Knygathin, but was too late to correct after I had registered. It is the forename of Knygathin Zhaum, a favorite character, from the story "The Testament of Athammaus". His body is very plastic and formable, even his nose and face twist and stretch. It is a metaphor affirmation for my mind to remain flexible.

Knygatin Wrote:
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> ... It is a metaphor affirmation for my mind
> to remain flexible.

And invulnerable, like Knygathin Zhaum.

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank you. I thought 'Sawfish' was a humorous
> affirmation. Like, that you can effectively saw
> apart other posters' arguments. It is a very
> energetic image.
>
> Knygatin is a misspelling, it should have been
> Knygathin, but was too late to correct after I had
> registered. It is the forename of Knygathin Zhaum,
> a favorite character, from the story "The
> Testament of Athammaus". His body is very plastic
> and formable, even his nose and face twist and
> stretch. It is a metaphor affirmation for my mind
> to remain flexible.

Hah! I should have recognized it!

I *really* liked his character, what we saw of it. He was, truly, A Force of Nature(tm) more so than a conventional character. A lot of what happened made me laugh...the futility of the legal system in dealing with him, his apparent passivity while in captivity, his outrageous selection of victims after each "execution", the mass stampede out of Commorium (a sort of urban flight to the Hyperborean suburbs? ;^) ).

Naw, I don't think about "winning arguments": our exchanges are to me pleasant and collegial. That's why I'm here. I also have opinions and usually have spend some time formulating them, so I may diagree, sometimes, but really, I want more to get my *ideas* right (logically sound) and have no silly notion that I have all the answers, because life has taught me that no one does.

To that end, I'd like to think that I'm flexible enough to modify my opinions--after all, I want to "get it right", not *be* right...

--Sawfish

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knygatin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Knygatin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ... It is a metaphor affirmation for my mind
> > to remain flexible.
>
> And invulnerable, like Knygathin Zhaum.

HAH!

...and outrageous!!! ;^)

It was as if he headed up a Pleistocene outlaw motorcycle gang!

--Sawfish

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"The food at the new restaurant is awful, but at least the portions are large."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew the source of Knygatin's name, but didn't realize he placed so much meaning to it. Great stuff! And ever since I learned about Sawfish's Hawaiian experience, I merely assumed his name was based on an old Polynesian tradition. Sawfishes were regarded as sacred animals. Wasn't expecting the actual inspiration!

My username is derived from the passive protagonist of a story CAS never finished, which can be seen here: [www.eldritchdark.com]

I'm hardly an old man like the narrator, but in two decades I will be, and I've been mentally preparing myself for it. I like the sound of the name, which reminds me of a fire slowly easing into a smolder after a huge conflagration. Something peaceful but energized, much like the passive yet energetic character who sees and learns some weird things.

I don't try to win arguments much myself, rather just sit on my rocking chair and pass the time whittling away at something!

Sometimes I use "Extollager." This is from the label the Kentish villagers applied, around 1820, to Samuel Palmer and his fellow young artists. Palmer is my favorite artist (I don't say he is the world's greatest artist!). You can find examples of his work online. To oversimplify, it falls into three periods:

1.His visionary period
2.His relatively conventional period, in which he painted many landscapes
3.The period of his late etchings after Milton and Vergil

The book to get hold of is Geoffrey Grigson's Samuel Palmer: The Visionary Years. The Yale book Samuel Palmer: Shadows on the Wall is good for color reproductions of his work.

[www.goodreads.com]

Dale Nelson Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Samuel Palmer is my favorite artist (I don't say he is
> the world's greatest artist!).


I love his painting of a shepherd dozing in the sunset, surrounded by his sheep. It is the cover of my John Keats collection. If there is a heaven on Earth, that way of life is it.