Why does Herman Melville sound like he's using dated English when he's supposedly using late Modern English?
Sometimes, there are certain expressions that are a bit ungrammatical or unidiomatic today that he uses in some of his books. Is there a reason for it?
"Not personally. I but happened to hear that he was a passenger. For the rest, though it might be somewhat informal, the gentleman might not object to doing a little business on board. Along the Mississippi, you know, business is not so ceremonious as at the East".
Top answer
English grammar and idioms have changed a lot since the 19th century.
- English grammar and idioms have changed a lot since the 19th century.
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English grammar and idioms have changed a lot since the 19th century.
0anonymous Why does Herman Melville sound like he's using dated English ...?
The book takes place on April Fool's Day. Doesn't that answer your question?
0Although it's formal by pulp fiction standards, it's not much different from today's literature. This is literature, written English at it best, that is, it's not the English you get in bestsellers. What do you consider ungrammatical or non-idiomatic in the passage? I don't see anything like that here.
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