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Mr. Tom Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
His sleep was a sensuous gluttony of oblivion.
Hi
Would you say that the underlined parts are natural sentences? I am reading PD James these days and her novel is full of such similes and metaphors.
(There was a comment in Reader's Digest that few writers use vocabulary so effectively as PD James.)
She knew he wouldn't have woken. His sleep was a sensuous gluttony of oblivion.
As she watched he suddenly opened sightless eyes, rolled them upwards, then closed them with a sigh and fell again into his little semblance of death.
Thanks,
Tom
Would you say that the underlined parts are natural sentences? I am reading PD James these days and her novel is full of such similes and metaphors.
(There was a comment in Reader's Digest that few writers use vocabulary so effectively as PD James.)
She knew he wouldn't have woken. His sleep was a sensuous gluttony of oblivion.
As she watched he suddenly opened sightless eyes, rolled them upwards, then closed them with a sigh and fell again into his little semblance of death.
Thanks,
Tom
Top answer
They are not natural in that few people would/could write such words (particularly the first example), and even fewer say them, They would be out of place in normal speech and writing. However, they are grammatically correct and make sense. More importantly, they evoke very clear pictures of what James is describing.
- They are not natural in that few people would/could write such words (particularly the first example), and even fewer say them, They would be out of place in normal speech and writing.
- However, they are grammatically correct and make sense.
- More importantly, they evoke very clear pictures of what James is describing.
- They are words written by a gifted writer who knows how to use language superbly.
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2 Answers
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They are not natural in that few people would/could write such words (particularly the first example), and even fewer say them, They would be out of place in normal speech and writing.
However, they are grammatically correct and make sense. More importantly, they evoke very clear pictures of what James is describing. They are words written by a gifted writer who knows how to use language
However, they are grammatically correct and make sense. More importantly, they evoke very clear pictures of what James is describing. They are words written by a gifted writer who knows how to use language
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The sentences are correct, although stylistically questionable. This type of writing is referred to as "purple (overly melodramatic) prose." You find this kind of prose in popular fiction and other low-end works.
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