tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Tue Oct 30 16:16:04 2001
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Re: Klingon literature: clipped or flowery?
- From: "Dr. Lawrence M. Schoen" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Klingon literature: clipped or flowery?
- Date: Mon, 29 Oct 2001 16:16:23 -0500
Personally, I don't see this as an either or kind of choice. Not only is
there a vast continuum between these two, there are other dimensions as
well.
My own preference is to be terse, but detailed. If describing a battle I
would recommend a series of short sentences, direct and to the point. But
also a variety of them. Don't just say the battle was glorious/long/brutal
of whatever. Describe the different aspects of it, and cover each concisely.
The basic rule of "show, don't tell" applies to Klingon writing as well.
Now, what I think Daniela B is really asking about is translation, and
that's a different matter. In translating another author's words I feel
there's an obligation to be true to the tone created by that author, to
include the details and pacing the original author intended. That doesn't
mean you can't play a bit with the style, but it does greatly constrain the
extent to which you do so.
Lawrence