(no subject)

[phosfate]

I cannot read........an edition of
Beowulf which........has text that
See-saws all........across the page.
I know it's meant........to reproduce
Some kind of........cadence or meter
From the original........(or I hope that's
So, and not that........the typesetter is
Drunk off his ass)........But even so, it
Makes me seasick,........and I really
Hate that........in a book.

Comments

[anotheryourself.livejournal.com]

yeah.... reading should not make one seasick.

[nitasee.livejournal.com]

Not being all that found of Beowulf to start with, I can't think of anything more annoying than Beowulf in that kind of typesetting.

[tsamm.livejournal.com]

I think it's called "caesura": big, dramatic pause in the middle to create, uh, a big dramatic pause. Right. Your drunken typesetter theory also sounds plausible--they may send cashews at Christmas, but there's a dark side to them, too.

Actually, I they're outside my apartment this very moment setting off fireworks--because that couldn't be my neighbors, now could it?

[infinitepryde.livejournal.com]

It's wonderfully useful!

... if you read Old English poetry.

... and if you know enough about Old English poetry to understand what the translator's doing, nine chances out of ten the translation (or the translated poetry) will be bad enough to drive you BLITHERING MAD.

Sympathies are delivered, with Dramamine.

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Ah. Fuckers were blowing shit up by my house, too. Yes, let's celebrate the new year with big-ass explosions.

[ymfaery]

Old English poetry typeset that way makes me think it's being read by a generic Barbara Cartland heroine, aka the Cartland Ellipsis Attack.