Lifestyle

The GOC: The Grammar Obsessed Character

I’ve decided to do a series called Tuesday Truths. I’m a huge fan of the truth, so why not get down and dirty with the thoughts that cross my mind as a reader, as a blogger, as an Instagrammer, and everything in between. So… kind of my once a week complain session, but it’s a well founded complain sesh. Let’s start off with a good one.

I hate books with grammar obsessed protagonists.

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As an avid reader, I come across books of all shapes, sizes, and plots. Something that keeps cropping up: main characters with a grammar obsession. It’s overdone and not done well. Writers are a language obsessed group, and grammar is a part of that obsession. It’s appealing to write a character with this specific neurosis because it’s familiar.

I dare you to name one person you truly enjoy being around who is constantly correcting your grammar and how you speak. I can’t come up with one either. No one likes being reprimanded mid-sentence because they used who instead of whom. It’s called conversation; I’m not writing a thesis while talking about my favorite way to prepare a potato. Let’s just have fun and enjoy the company.

As unpleasant as these people are in real life, they are even more unpleasant on the page. I have yet to read a grammar obsessed character I like or relate with or want to know better. They literally never come off as endearing. The author usually tries to sell it as a cute quirk. Not cute. Not a quirk. It’s annoying. It makes me not like your book. Each character has come off as snotty and better than me. I don’t want to waste my time on a character I wouldn’t give the time of day to in real life.  

On top of being awful, the books usually have grammar mistakes. This is partially the editors fault, but it’s also the author’s fault. If you’re writing an uppity grammar police of a character, then your prose better be flawless. I mean immaculate. If it’s not, then you come off as a douchy hypocrite, which makes me like you even less.

I’m tired of this trope. Let’s move on from writing these characters. Unless the goal is to make them unlikable, then keep on writing! I will keep on hating.

Books

Envy

Read: Yes
Difficulty: III
Length: I
Quick Review: A Russian classic examining the socialist society it was written for.

Yury Olesha is known as a great Russian novelist. Not only was Envy his debut novel, it became one of his most recognizable works. Olesha had an immense talent for appearing pro-Soviet but, in actuality, was critiquing the Communist government when read with an eye for detail. The Soviet’s played hardball when it came to censorship because Olesha subtly critiqued the government through satire, he was able to avoid punishment or jail.  screenshot_20180521-194346_instagram.jpg

Nikolai Kavalerov is a young and slightly bitter young man. After being tossed out of a bar, Andrei Babichev rescued Kavalerov allowing him to sleep on his couch. Babichev manages a sausage factory and is the perfect Soviet citizen. When Babichev’s brother, Ivan, returns, everything is turned on its head.

I love this little book. I read it in Russian awhile ago. Under 120 pages, it is a dense story filled with a tons of nuance, meaning, history, and culture. Through the character of Babichev, the story is a paragon of communist values. Olesha is not only critiquing the Soviet government but also capitalism. It is also an interesting look into the psychology of the characters. It is also interesting to note how well it was received by his contemporaries. Enjoyed by all the Soviet literary greats, Envy was also in high regard by Pravda, which was run by the state.

I love this book. It’s a great one. If you want to dip a toe into Soviet literature without committing a ton of time, this is great for a night in or quick weekend read.

Memorable Quotes:
“I spoke, horrified by what I was saying.”

Title: Envy
Author: Yury Olesha
Translator: T.S. Berczynski
Publisher: Ardis Publishers, Inc
Copyright: 2004
ISBN:9780882330914

 

Books, Fiction

Bridges

Read No
Length 194
Quick Review The plot is flat, and the characters are superficial at best. For having a grammar police of a main character, the syntax is riddled with errors. The cover is incredibly misleading. Overall, it reads like a sub par young adult novel.

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Bridges by Maria Murnane is a novel about female friendship. Three women, who met in college, are in very different points in their lives. Told through the eyes of Daphne, a divorcée, mom and aspiring novelist from Ohio; she meets her friends in New York City for a long weekend. Daphne celebrates the impending marriage of the successful and perpetually single Skylar along with KC, the hottest, youngest grandma there ever was. Though they are close, they still have things to learn about each other, which could bring them together or drive them apart.

The story centers around three women in their forties, but the cover is incredibly misleading picturing three women looking to be in their early twenties. Not only is the cover mismatched but the title, as well. I have finished the book, and I still am not quite sure where Bridges comes into play.

Murnane tries to tackle the complexities of female friendship but falls short. Her characters are hollow. Their friendship feels incredibly surface. One of the largest contributing factors to this is the dialogue. Murnane makes a concerted effort to keep the dialogue light and true to how people talk; however, it doesn’t flow naturally. She tries too hard to make the dialogue witty and interesting. There are unnecessary characters, who do nothing to further the plot. Murnane is trying to stay relevant by using Lokai bracelets, but it’s kitschy and overdone. She also tries to incorporate internet dating through an irrelevant side character. The “horrifying” dating experiences she comes up with may have been avant garde in the 1940’s, but they’re nothing to bat an eye at for any actively dating woman under the age of 45.

Daphne seems to be a fictional version of Murnane as an aspiring novelist. The other characters are always referring to Daphne as something of a grammar police. She shows her knowledge of grammar in ludicrous ways, which add nothing to the story except irritate and distract the reader. After constant mention of being the perfect icon of grammar, the novel itself is riddled with grammar mistakes and odd word choices.

Overall, the novel could be something really interesting, but, as it stands, Bridges is a let down falling short of a the complexity that is female friendship. I would be happy to recommend you better novels about female friendship. Just let me know!

Memorable Quotes
“… love is completely random.  There’s no rhyme nor reason whatsoever to where we’ll find it, or how.”

Title: Bridges
Author: Maria Murnane
Publisher: Self-Published
Copyright: 2017
ISBN: 9780980042511