words, some of them of an unladylike and Anglo-Saxon nature

[freckles_and_doubt]

I am in the sweary stage of paper writing. It's fighting me; I'm wrestling it, it's largely winning. I hate it, and myself, and my writing, and African fairy-tale film, about equally. I am horribly bored by the need to finish the damned thing (it's now nearly a week after deadline) and the fact that I can't permit myself much in the way of socialising or happy domestic fuffling until it's bloody well done. Alarmingly enough, this is all familiar and status quo: never underestimate the extent to which the relationship academics have with academia is basically abusive. I'll finish it. This too will pass. Until then, swearing, and loathing, and hedgehoggy hermitting. But especially the swearing.

I did, however, track down the volume on African folklore which I'd randomly packed at the bottom of a whole box of Pratchett and Moorcock. This has led me, as a knock-on effect, to throw out more books, as I had to unpack and repack a bunch of them. I'm still obscurely enjoying the catharsis of the clear-out.



There should be an almost complete Elric in the Moorcock, and a couple of other series as well - Corum, and Dorian Hawkmoon? I have kept the Jerry Cornelius ones, because postmodernism, and the Dancers at the End of Time ones, because I don't do hallucinogenic drugs and a girl has to have some substitutes. I am forced to admit that I've pretty much outgrown Elric, I haven't read them since undergrad. The John C. Wright are buying it because the frothing homophobia of the writer's online presence is having the Orson Effect, namely an inability to read his fiction without a sort of Pavlovian response of annoyance and distaste. Also, he's a sexist sod, frankly; I really like some of what the Orphans series does, but its ideological irritations are now outweighing its enjoyments. Never trust a writer who feels impelled to spank almost all of his women.  I have retained only the remnants of my Heinlein collection which are (a) genre classics and (b) I am able to read without actually throwing the book across the room, which in the event turns out not to be many of them. I've turfed out the young adult stuff, because frankly there's better y.a. sf out there, but they're actually fun and comparatively inoffensive - Pam, you might like them for the young'uns? The Michael Scott Rohan are swashbucklery fun, but I've kept Scott Lynch for that.

If anyone wants to appropriate any of these, please let me know! So far only the Kay and the Aldiss have been bagsed from the previous group.

Comments

[bronchitikat.livejournal.com]

What is it about the Anglo-Saxons language which has it synonymous with swearing? I mean, what about all the poetry and sagas? Is this the last vestige of Norman prejudice?

Hope the paper writing surrenders soon.

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

I think I was thinking of "bollocks", which is definitely Anglo-Saxon, even if "fuck" is more Germanic ;>. But my vague association, from undergrad History of English, is with short, blunt, punchy, vowel-heavy words, as opposed to the rather different length, stress and fluency of borrowings from French and Latin. If there's prejudice, it's in favour of the feel I associate with the Anglo-Saxon - it seems less fussy/pretentious to me, and considerably more earthy and direct. I am cheerfully willing to admit that all of the above is impressionistic and probably wildly inaccurate.

[bronchitikat.livejournal.com]

Is Afrikaans a good language to get angry in?

[bronchitikat.livejournal.com]

I have heard that German is a good language to get cross in. So maybe it's that rather than residual prejudice after all!

[mac1235.livejournal.com]

Golden Witchbreed and the Stross.
and any that are leftover.....

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Have started a "MAC" pile with GW and the Stross, but will cheerfully add all the remainder once the rest of the witterers have had a chance to weigh in.

meeeee

[first-fallen.livejournal.com]

I'll take the Heinlein and the Gentle (except GW, we already have one). Thank you :-)

Re: meeeee

[extemporanea.livejournal.com]

Right, yours! Have added them to the pile with the post-it note that reads "JO (TY)". Hooray! I like this business of distributing my library among my friends. It has a sort of save-for-a-rainy-day feel...