Comments on: The Daily Square – Long White Cadillac Edition https://booksquare.com/daily-square-258/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&%23038;utm_campaign=daily-square-258 Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:45:56 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Clive Warner https://booksquare.com/daily-square-258/#comment-166261 Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:11:28 +0000 http://705632128#comment-166261 I suggest that the next Rowling book be called “Parry Hotter and the Deathly Adverbs”
I had the feeling that I had seen Rowling’s style somewhere before, like when I was about 11 years old. And I had! Rowling’s style is *exactly* what was popular in the 1930’s. If you doubt me, look at the adverb usage here in this passage from Grahame’s “Wind in the Willows”:

`Nice? It’s the only thing,’ said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant
forward for his stroke. `Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing — absolute nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Simply messing,’ he went on dreamily: `messing — about — in — boats; messing — — ‘
`Look ahead, Rat!’ cried the Mole suddenly.
It was too late. The boat struck the bank full tilt. The dreamer, the joyous oarsman, lay on his back at the bottom of the boat, his heels in the air.
` — about in boats — or with boats,’ the Rat went on composedly,
picking himself up with a pleasant laugh.

– haha! And then I checked out the “Just William” books. Same adverb usage!
Has nobody at Bloomsbury got the balls to tell that woman that English has changed in the last 75 years?

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