War of the Words
"O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once."
Translation: The battle between Grammar Girl and WriterJax is on.
Our blog names undoubtedly suggest that we are word nerds, if not word nerds that share a secret longing to become super heroes. It wasn't until last weekend, however, camped out in my home office, that we realized to what extent.
I believe we slid into the topic of our favorite novels after discussing the new offerings on PBS' Masterpiece Theater ('really?' you ask. 'This is really your Saturday night?' Don't even get me started. There were LPs of Edith Piaf playing too, and we were taking notes on our conversation. Really.).
As it turns out, my favorite classic novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, is the one that Grammar Girl likens to digging her retinas out with a spoon. Hers, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, ranks right up there with curdled milk for me.
And thus, the debate ensued.
In the interest of equal say, we each gave the other a chance to defend our respective titles. I said Brave New World is part of a sector of literature I've always enjoyed - the whole utopian/distopian society thing. I also think it's wildly innovative, not just in its subject matter but in the dozens of words and terms that Huxley invented to bolster the believability of his futuristic world. Ever taken a Soma to get to sleep? You have Aldous to thank.
Conversely, GG believes Wuthering Heights is, in essence, the first major feminist work due to its themes as well as the precociousness of its young author when it was written. She gets all dreamy when she talks about the moors and the complexity of Heathcliff and Catherine's relationship.
I proposed a draw: trade books and read them with each others' favorite aspects in mind. Discuss. That way, we're each being rewarded and punished at the same time.
Watch Grammar Girl and WriterJax in the coming weeks for posts on the War of the Words, or join in the debate. Have you read one or both of these books? Do you have a favorite? Does one make your skin crawl like a festering parasite?
Whose side are you on?
"Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights."
i think your 'war of the words' is a giant undertaking and i cannot wait to
read more about this. i, myself, am a lover of words--my
non-capitalization is just my style and not for lack of education.
lol--and i've been reading since i can remember and writing since i was 16
(short stories, poetry etc ...). while i've never had the luxury of
reading wuthering heights, i have heard that it is a dull and rather
lifeless book, however, i withhold my own judgments until i actually read
it for myself. god only knows when that could be.
on the other hand, i HAVE read brave new world and i positively loved it
when i read it and, oftentimes, i'll pull out a copy and read a few
chapters when the mood takes me. i'm 100% on your side on this debate,
however, that could simply be because i've no firm knowledge of 'WH'
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