Language in Literature (Part 2 of 2)

The use of language in writing goes beyond the words we use, further than what language(s) we employ. The words we put into the mouths of our characters are just as vital to the narrative as the words words we use to describe the pot plant on the window sill.
Amongst the myriad things that will be discussed today are the use of slang, the alteration of speech, and the use of catch-words and -phrases.
Hold onto your horses, trim your (metaphorical) sails, and brace for impact.

What is in a word?

Letter, undoubtedly letters.

You may have heard the turn of phrase, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' I would make the case here that the careful choice of a word or key phrase is at least worth a few hundred.

Take a moment to think about it. A character might use a certain, uncommon word (e.g. voluptuous instead of shapely) which informs the reader about the character in a clever way. Here is a character who has a specific way of perceiving and and describing appearances. It encourages the reader to think a little more deeply about just who this character is, and why the see the world the way they do. Further, this single use of a word can, when employed skilfully, depict the character more succinctly that an entire page of dry descriptions.

Perhaps a character greets people with 'wotcher' rather than the conventional 'hello.' What does that tell the reader about the character? Does a particular image come to mind of the type of character who might use such word?

For an example that is close to my heart, if someone came up to you in the street, and greeted you with "G'day", what would you immediately assume about them?

The important point here is that how someone speaks is intimately bound to who, and what, they are. Someone who takes part in academic discussion on a regular basis might seem to speak in a normal manner in the opinion of their peers. Ask a builder though, and he might suggest that the individual in question is 'pretentious.' Or, more to the point, he wouldn't. Instead, he might use the phrase "stuck up little ****."

Vocabulary

Thus we plough on into the diverse and wondrous world of vocabulary. That is "what words we know, or don't." A fun little activity before we plunge on into the abyss is always a good idea. Go to www.dictionary.reference.com and punch in some words that you use on a regular basis whether verbally, or in your written work. The website has a wonderful little slider that will tell you how commonly known and used each word is. You might surprise yourself.

The point is that for a writer vocabulary is terrifically important. Unless all your characters are scholars, I would suggest that they should not all speak and write at your level. If you a writing (for example) a dialogue between a prince and a night soil remover, should they speak on the same 'level'? While it is possible to create a scenario that allows them to have matching vocabularies, it is much more likely that they would be talking on different levels.

For every character, the writer should consider their background, education, and environment. The character's voice is one of the most important parts of shaping who they are, and their vocabulary (or lack thereof) should reflect that. A former drill sergeant would certainly use different words to express himself than would an economist, even if they were talking about the same thing.

Let us have a play with the idea. Here is a very plain sentence:

"The police officer walked down the street."

A pickpocketing street urchin might rephrase that as:

"The pig waltzed down the track as though he owned the joint."

Whereas a magistrate might tackle it as follows:

"The senior constable proceeded at a pace along the avenue, carrying out his duties as a law keeper."

In both cases the reader both receives further information about the police officer, and come to understand the speaker better, while still receiving the original message that "the police officer walked down the street."

While the original sentence is perfectly functional, delivering the information in a clear manner, the other versions make for a more interesting, and informative, read.

Slang

Another neat little segue. Slang is an excellent way to define a character's speech. However, for it to do so, it needs to both feel natural, and be understood. If it is complete gibberish (even well written gibberish), it will achieve little in regards to deepening a character. The writer doesn't need to provide a dictionary definition of the slang, or a discourse on the nuances of its use, but the slang should make sense to the reader.

At the same time, slang needs to preserve its sense of mystery. Slang is often restricted in its use. To go back to the Prince and night soil collector, it is quite possible that due to his class, occupation, and social circles, that the night soilman uses slang that the Prince doesn't use or comprehend. In this situation the slang serves not only to flesh out the characters, but to reaffirm the social structure (particular in relation to class divide), in which the Prince is superior. However, because of this class superiority, the Prince is excluded from certain parts of society, not just by rank, but by language. Here, despite their speaking the same language, these two characters are impeded by a language barrier.

The power of language, particularly of slang, should never be underestimated. It can often make the characters, or the entire narrative, seem disingenuous if characters are using language that cannot be logically ascribed to them by the reader. To call up from the distant past my discussion about Credibility, you can extrapolate the importance of appropriate use of language.

In Summary

As I have (hopefully) illuminated here, the words and language used by characters within the narrative plays a huge role in how the reader interprets them. They are shaped by their words, not just their actions, and as such their language should accurately, and consistently reflect who they are.

As always, it feels as though I have barely scratched the surface of the week's topic, but I sincerely hope that it has been of help. I also hope that it has encouraged you to think a little more deeply about how we, as writers, use speech to shape out characters and our narratives.

Until next week!

NNBC

Language in Literature (Part 1 of 2)

This week's belated discussion is a bit of a change of pace for The Narrative Within. Language is, for obvious reasons, an integral part of any form of literature, or writing. Language, and the writing of it, impacts greatly upon the calibre and readability of any given work, whether intended as entertainment or scholarship (these two forms are not mutually exclusive).
Due to the scope of this topic, my discussion on Language in Literature will be split up over two weeks. The first week will look at the use of multiple languages within a text, while the second will look at how we adapt language for effect (and affect) within the narrative.
NB - I will preface this discussion in saying that in addition to English, I have studied (or am studying) Latin, Ancient Greek, and German. As you would rightly deduce from that, I bring certain biases and assumptions to the table for this discussion.

The Authenticity of Language

Leaving academic writing aside for a moment, let us address the issue of authenticity. The question I ask is this:

 'Should a language used away from its natural context be true to its bona fide self, with no adaptations or alterations?'

As always, I would argue that it depends. On what? Context, style, purpose, to name a few reasons. If one is writing an historical fiction novel, let's use the example of one set in Ancient Rome (c. 70 BC), I would make the case that the Latin used in this situation should be meticulous in its accuracy. It should be as precise as a chunk of Cicero's In Verrem, and read like true Latin that one might find written from that period. There is plenty of comparative source material for such writing, and as such a poor attempt will stick out like a sore thumb.

On the other hand, if you are writing a High Fantasy novel that features a Latin/Roman inspired culture, you as the writer have more freedom in the language. While you might draw heavily from Latin (and I don't blame you if you do!), you might also want to lend your own particular feel to it. Maybe you alter the vowels, giving it a more archaic tone, or start playing with the subjunctive in a brutal fashion. Ultimately, as in this situation you are writing in your own universe, you have plenty of freedom. I would still perhaps advise that some care is taken, as whatever language you are playing with still needs to feel like an authentic language at the end of the day.

As you may have deduced, the liberties taken with a given secondary language really are at the discretion of the writer. However, there are some guidelines I like to adhere to. For one, I always keep my intended audience in mind. Different readers will read and react differently to different uses of language. Some might find the use of a secondary language stimulating, others would like the flavour it adds to the narrative, whilst some might be alienated by it. My suggestion in this regard is to use the secondary language sparingly, employing it only where it has a meaningful impact upon the narrative:

            "When the last man passed, Lucian raised a ceremonial spear and launched it high into the air, the pennant of his legion streaming from its haft. As it fell to earth, embedding itself in the Field of Tellius, he cried out loudly enough for the citizens who lined the edge of the field to hear, “Nec deficiemus nec revertemus antequam victoria!”"

Not only is the 'old tongue' phrase brief, it also clearly carries a symbolic and traditional meaning. Further, I do more to empower the use of the secondary language here. In the following scene two characters (Lucian and Fulvius) discuss the 'old tongue' phrase, explaining it, and translating it for the benefit of the reader.

"As they road along the Western Way, Fulvius said, “An ancient and famous saying.”

Lucian glanced over, snapped out of his reverie, and asked, “What was that?”

Fulvius chuckled and said, “Until victory, we shall not cease, nor return.”

Lucian nodded, saying, “Aye, as old as the legions themselves. What of it?”

“It has been a long time since the Legate has cried that at the Field of Tellius and truly wondered whether he would return. It has become more theatre than reality. When the first legion marched out to that cry, every man there knew that death and defeat was a real possibility.”"

Throughout my novel, from which both of these passages originate, I have deliberately used less common Latin vocabulary where possible. This is to give the 'old tongue' its own distinct characteristics and flavour. Even though I have spent an appreciable amount of time working on the 'old tongue' it is still readily identifiable as Latin and (mostly) obeys the rules of that language. I use it sparingly, and only where the narrative's context benefits from its presence.

Creating Your Own Language

I take my hat off to anyone who is willing to attempt this, and would give a bottle of wine to them if they pull it off. When I say 'Creating your own Language", I don't mean a small number of phrases said by one or two characters. I am talking about a fully fledged language. I do have a comment on invented terms and phrases that I will give later, but for now let us talk full languages. Full alphabets (even when derivative), with pronunciation rules, grammar, and in depth linguistic rules are no easy thing to create, hence why it is so rarely done. The name that will come up time and time again when talking about authors who have created their own language is, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien. As many of you would know, he devised the language of the Elves in his fictional universe of Middle Earth, the languages named Quenya and Sindarin. Quenya in particular drew on a number of 'real' languages, including Latin, Welsh, Greek, and Finnish. One must also note that Tolkien was a Professor of Anglo-Saxon, and thus no stranger to the complexities of Language. Most of his lifetime, it seems, was devoted to the creation of Languages.

The daunting level of dedication is clearly one of the deterrents to those considering writing their own language. Alongside this is the knowledge that if you do devise your own language, it will most likely be compared to the high standard set by Tolkien's languages. This said, if you think you can do it, I whole-heartedly encourage you to do so. The literary world can only be enhanced by such endeavours.

Pseudolingua

Something of a pet peeve of mine is when writers (of any discipline) use madey uppey language in their work. My most recent example is in a book that has a form of magic which the author has given a special name. Unfortunately, as a student of Latin, I recognised the word (I am not sure if the author is a Latinist or not), which translates into English as 'man', or more frequently, 'husband'. Now, think back to my remark about the 'intended audience'. Naturally, most author's don't expect their work to be interrogated by a vast number of pedantic classicists, and thus won't necessarily pander to such nitpicking. Most writers (inc. your's truly), will use a word that they would swear they made up, only to find that it is the name of some obscure British village, or what a Roman woman called her beloved. These things happen, I just recommend a bit of research if you intend to make a habit of using a particularly word or phrase with any frequency.

Academia

The use of secondary languages within academia is a little different, but I do want to briefly touch on it. As many would be aware, Ancient Greek and Latin words are frequently used within the sciences (especially biology), though in such a way that is not overly complex. Historians however, are a different kettle of fish. In all honesty, I think it may be that we like to show off our big brains, and rub them in people's collective intellectual faces. As a Classicist, I frequently work with works by historians who have lived in the last few hundred years and who, despite writing primarily in English, are happy to include large chunks of Greek, Latin, German, French, Italian, or Spanish. Partially (particularly when Latin was still widely taught in schools and tertiary institutions), this is due to these historians writing for their peers, rather than the ambiguous 'layman', and thus assuming that the reader can easily translate these slaps of other languages. Other reasons include, of course, showing off the author's proficiency with a given language (especially if they have written something of their own in said language, rather than just quoting an ancient author), or including something that might be considered 'inappropriate' for the masses to read. I hope to discuss the clever ways in which other languages are used in English Academia in greater depth at a later date, as it is a truly fascinating topic.

Once again, thank you for indulging me by reading my ramblings. I hope you have taken something positive away from today's post, and hope you are looking forward to the second instalment on Languages in Literature.

Until then, 

Salue!

NNB CLARKE

Delayed in the works

Just a quick post. Due to various hectic activities since the last post, I have had to delay the upcoming one. It is on the way, but may be a day (or two) late. I will hint that the topic is a tad different to the recent theme.
Thank you for your patience,
N N B CLARKE

Religion in the Narrative

Religion in the modern era is a touchy subject at best. It does, in one way or another, pervade our lives. Everyone seems to have their own viewpoint, their own agenda. Today's discussion will be on religion in fiction, and how we write it. Leave your prejudices at the door.

The Problem

As any good historian knows, no matter how careful you are, you cannot completely separate your biases from your writing. No, I'm serious about this, you really cannot. This applies to your views on religion as well. It applies whether you are writing an historical essay, or the most brilliant piece of high fantasy that will ever exist. Your beliefs, you viewpoint, and your biases will inevitably impact upon how you depict religion in your work, how your characters interact with religion, and how important religion is to your narrative.

This, then, is the problem the writer faces. They must attempt to conceal their own prejudices and depict a 'real' view of religion. Or should they?  More on this soon.

What does NNB CLARKE mean by 'Religion'?

That is a big question.When speaking or writing about religion, I am not speaking just about gods. I am referring to any spiritual belief system. Whether it is an organised group that meets once a week to talk to the invisible beard in the sky, or a band of nudists who occasionally do a dance for the very real succubus in the nearby forest doesn't matter, either way it is religion.

Therefore, when I talk about religion within fiction I am talking about a broad spectrum of institutions, superstitions, and beliefs. On the occasion where I refer to specific forms of religion, don't worry, I will make it clear.

Further, bear in mind that religion in fiction should rarely, if ever,  be exclusively monotheistic, or polytheistic. After all, the real world isn't solely one or the other.

Religion in Fantasy

I have my thoughts on religion in fantasy. Too many, if that is possible.  I will try and make them as lucid and coherent as possible through a number of subheadings.

NO RELIGION - I am always very edgy about this, particularly in fantasy settings. Sentient races - yes, that includes us - seem to have a pathological need to explain the inexplicable, and to justify their existence. Ergo, we create a system of beliefs, and so religion is born. In fantasy most, if not all, authors will be writing about sentient beings. It is, to my mind, unreasonable to assume that these races do not have beliefs. Remember, you don't need a deity to have religion. While there may be some atheists in the world you create, it is unlikely that they would be the dominant 'belief system'.

MONOTHEISM - Monotheism has hung on determinedly for millennia in the 'real world'. The notables are, of course, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While one might argue that Christian Saints are an echo of a polytheistic world, that is perhaps best saved for another day. Monotheism revolves around the idea of there being ONE deific being, gender optional, that presides of the universe. It is up to the writer to define this being's limitations, and status. Even in a universe with many heavenly beings, monotheism can occur, as one culture may choose to worship one being, ignoring all the others.

POLYTHEISM - Pantheons. Lightning wielding giants with snowy beards. Buxom women with magical bows. Babies strangling snakes. You get the picture. Polytheism is we often associate with the Classical Past. "Old Europe" as it were. This form of religion is often very popular in fantasy fiction. It works well, is versatile, and is often a more 'active' form of religion. 

ANIMISM - No, not the worship of anime, though I totally understand if you do. Animism (which derives its name from the Latin animus, 'soul', or 'life') is a belief system that believes that the natural world has a spiritual essence. Often considered to be 'less developed' than organised religion, it is popular when writing tribal groups. I personally find animism fascinating, and very enjoyable to have incorporated into a narrative.

THE WORX - My personal preference is to take the lot, with a post-mix coke and a side of fries. When building a world, I like to take cues from the only world I know, the real world. Our world is made up of all of the these belief systems, and more. Why shouldn't a fantasy world be? Even under the heel of imperialist religious oppression, the mind is still free to wander, to wonder, and to belief what it will. A diverse world is a believable one.

My final thoughts on the matter are this: Just as you are entitled to your own beliefs, so are all the characters in your world. Religion helps to define an individual, even in the absence of personal belief. Countless novels have done this well, and I have to shout out to the excellent work done by BioWare in the Dragon Age series. While monotheism takes centre stage in Dragon Age, every encounter with a religious character, piece of doctrine, artefact, or animistic Avvar, does an excellent job of fleshing out an already wondrous world.

Apologies for the brevity of today's discussion, I hope to return to this topic in greater detail in the future. I hope you have enjoyed reading, and thank you for your time.

As always, questions and comments are welcome!

NNB CLARKE

Immortality: Is it right for you?

Immortality in the Narrative

Only a few weeks ago, I wrote my first discussion on balance and credibility within the narrative. As my readers may have guess, the following discussions have sought, and will seek, to delve deeper into various aspects of the narrative that can lead to imbalance. This week is no different, and will probe into the pros and cons of immortality within the fictional narrative.

Types of Immortality

It is best, right off the bat, to define what we are actually talking about when we say 'immortality', as like anything good, it comes in many delicious flavours. My experience as both reader and writer has made it clear that despite the dictionary definition of immortality as 'endless life', fiction has a tendency to put multiple spins on the idea. To this end of definition, I have compiled a short and certainly non-exhaustive list of 'types of immortality' as they may appear in fiction.

Long Lived: Not technically immortality, this does really still fall under the umbrella term. Readers are probably most accustomed to seeing Elves, or similar races, in many different authors' works, being long lived. Other individuals also gain this trait, such as Martin Longbow in Raymond E. Feist's works. This definition comes with the caveat that, besides the extended life span which does still most certainly come to an end, they are in no other way immortal. Martin Longbow, does however, gain this long life by dint of spending a great deal of time within the elven realm, and thus has been affected by the magics of the elves. I am sure most readers can least off a dozen or so examples of long lived characters in fiction that belong to this category.

Undying: Very similar to Long Lived, the only really difference between this form and the aforementioned form, is that an Undying immortal cannot die from natural causes. That is to say, if no harm befalls them, they can live forever. Certainly this form of immortality appears a little more rarely that Long Lived, as it can have potential complications for the narrative, as an intelligent, insightful Undying immortal could have all the answers for problems too frequently, and thus sabotage the logic of some narratives.

Invincible: I have opted to have Invincible and Invulnerable as two separate forms of immortality, for the sake of differentiation. I define invincible characters as being immortal, but with a number of caveats, including: a normal life span, the ability to be harmed, and some physical limitation upon their immortality. A perfect example of this are the comic characters Asterix & Obelix. These characters are mortals, with ordinary life spans, and an ability to be injured, but gain their invincibility via the potation of a magical potion that provides them with a limited period of power.

Invulnerable: Invulnerable characters are much like invincible ones, but with significantly fewer limitations. This form of immortal generally has no dependency on outside sources, but are inherently invulnerable, while still being bound by some sort of limited life span. Whether their invulnerability takes the form of being unable to be harmed (a problematic situation for the narrative at best) or can regenerate in some way after being injured, is at the discretion of the author. Invulnerable characters can be extremely interesting to say the least, when written well. Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy is an excellent exemplar of this style of character done well, though the character in question could also arguably fall into the next category as well.

True Immortals: True Immortals are a blend of Undying and Invulnerable, and as such are the dictionary definition of immortal. These characters do appear in fiction, and if written well, can be absolutely fantastic assets in the narrative. If written poorly however...

Balancing Immortals

Naturally each of these has its own pros and cons, and as such, need to be treated differently within the narrative. Again I bow my head to the excellent way in which Brent Weeks engaged the problem of immortality, and executed its depiction in his Night Angel trilogy. If my praise of Weeks seems sycophantic I apologise, but his narrative serves as an excellent example of this topic, and rarely have I encountered such a well balanced system that also serves to drive the narrative.

As you might expect, balancing immortality within the narrative is very important as - here I go again - a poorly written or ill planned depiction of immortality can detract from the strength of the narrative or serve to break the suspension of disbelief. To this matter then, we must look. There are (of course) a number of ways in which immortality may be balanced, and indeed some forms of immortality are intrinsically self-balancing. I have plotted out some methods of balancing immortality below, all of which I expect you will find rather familiar.

The Price: I put it first, because it is the most common, and in my opinion, the most efficacious. Johnny is immortal, but there is a price to pay. This might not seem very original, but it works. Feist did it, Weeks did it, Sanderson did it. Most authors and writers, myself included, have at one point or another used the idea of immortality coming at a price. Sometimes the price may be one to be paid later (Feist's character Pug), or may be paid at indeterminate intervals (Weeks' characters Durzo and Kylar). The Price style of balance creates a plot in and of itself, and often a powerful one at that. To those of us prone to introspection, another obvious price for immortality is present as well: the immortal would have to watch everyone they know and love die, and have that cycle repeat endlessly. While depressing and emotional, I would make the case that unless you intend to write a very long series focusing on one character, this particular form of The Price may not be particularly poignant.

No Eternal Youth: Immortality loses its appeal when you get told that you can live forever, but you will continue to age. This could serve as a potent plot device, but also is a tad predictable, and I daresay more common when writing power hungry and vain villains.

No Free Will: A character cannot die from any wound, or the ravages of time. However, nor can he determine his own path. Perhaps the granter of immortality holds the leash, or perhaps kings war over the amulet that controls this undying tool. A very interesting idea...might keep that one for myself.

The Sleeper: A little bit Davy Jones perhaps. The character is immortal, but is absent for prolonged periods. Perhaps once he of she returns to the 'mortal' realms, they can only stay a week, or a month, before vanishing for another century. Could smell a bit of deus ex machina. 

What about me?

As I said, I have written an immortal character. This character is almost a True Immortal, but has a number of conditions applied to his immortality. Firstly, he never chose to become immortal, and thus loathes the gift in many ways. Secondly, while he can recover from grievous injuries, the recovery time is dependent on the severity of his wounds, thus preventing him from becoming the ultimate killing machine. Thirdly, he becomes cynical as he travels through life, and begins to hate his own kind as he seems the endlessly repeat the same mistakes, regardless of what he does. Beyond that, I will say nothing as he is a key character in a number of my upcoming works.

I will end the discussion there for today, though I would be happy to return to it in even more depth if I was asked to.

I would like to shamelessly plug myself now. Besides my blog, you can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NNBCLARKE and my first published work can be found at http://www.amazon.com.au/Introduction-Doranath-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B00U0JVFR8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425081350&sr=8-1&keywords=doranath
If you enjoy my blog, or my published work, please share it as I really do rely heavily on word of mouth promotion at this stage.

Your support, however you wish to show it, is deeply appreciated.

Until next time,

NNB CLARKE

p.s. I intend to alter the appearance of this blog over the next few weeks, due to feedback.