[a / b / c / d / e / f / g / gif / h / hr / k / m / o / p / r / s / t / u / v / vg / vm / vmg / vr / vrpg / vst / w / wg] [i / ic] [r9k / s4s / vip / qa] [cm / hm / lgbt / y] [3 / aco / adv / an / bant / biz / cgl / ck / co / diy / fa / fit / gd / hc / his / int / jp / lit / mlp / mu / n / news / out / po / pol / pw / qst / sci / soc / sp / tg / toy / trv / tv / vp / vt / wsg / wsr / x / xs] [Settings] [Search] [Mobile] [Home]
Board
Settings Mobile Home
/lit/ - Literature


Thread archived.
You cannot reply anymore.


[Advertise on 4chan]


This is something that I started to notice a lot. I like to read and I'm not above reading novels by new authors or even webnovels when bored. To be honest, I found some gems in the middle of all the shit.

One thing that I noticed is that some authors have a small tendency of writing dialogues that sound like shit Hollywood movies:the type that tries to sound quirk and smart but looks dumb as fuck in real life and unnatural when used all the time by every single character.

Why american writers suck so much at writing proper dialogues?
>>
Americans are awful at communicating in general, it seems really laboured to them, like a chore they have to undergo which momentarily prevents them from shoving more cornslop into their mouths.
British English and Irish English takes a lot of joy in itself and using different figures of speech and wordplay.
Maybe it has something to do with America's rapid immigration in the past where everyone started learning English at the same time so you had ESLs trying to communicate to ESLs and they adopted a pidgin mentality of "language is only used to convey information" and not for fun
>>
>>23316016
Some examples would be helpful. I think you're just reading the wrong authors personally.
>>
>>23316016
>the type that tries to sound quirk and smart but looks dumb as fuck in real life
Well its a good thing its not real anon
>>
>>23316038
>Some examples would be helpful
I will use one that was recommended by me in the novel update forums: Supreme Magus.

> I think you're just reading the wrong authors personally.

Maybe. It's just something that I noticed. I usually don't care that much about the author unless he's amazing (like Er Gen) but I started to notice this ''flaw'' a lot. Even when the novel has a interesting premisse or plot, the dialogue usually takes it all away. And it's always some american writer. It got to the point that chinese characters sounds more humane than american ones.

>>23316040
>Well its a good thing its not real anon
If the premise of the scene is a normal dialogue with your family or friends, trying to emulate a normal setting would, this is a flaw.
>>
>>23316032
Brainlet take.

>>23316016
You'll never get it, ESLs. You'd have to grow up here.
>>
>>23316051
Considering how much your English is an obvious work-in-progress, your take on what good dialogue looks like is pretty irrelevant desu.
>>
>>23316032
>British English and Irish English takes a lot of joy in itself and using different figures of speech and wordplay.
That's what being drunk all the time does to you. Communication should not be a source of joy. The primary purpose of language is not for communication, but for the organization of thought. Communication is not something to revel in or enjoy. It is something to be grudgingly accepted.
>>
>>23316032
It's why I quite like the metered and insular diction of the South. It's guarded but full of poetic imagery.
>>
Why does America mog every other country when it comes to books? In less than 250 years we have produced more great literature than France's entire history.
And the same is true of whatever pindick cunt you come from
>>
>>23316032
>Americans are awful at communicating in general
They only know two sentences: "What do you mean?" and: "Can you elaborate on that?"
>>
>>23316032
>Hey how are you?
>Anyway can I get a frappelappe double caramel mocha?
>Make it skinny btw
>>
not american and in many ways i loathe america but fuck they are great writers. and they are great dialogue writers as well.

i think that confederacy of dunces has one of the best dialogue writing ive ever read,
then Mccarthy, Foster Wallace, Melville, Delillo

even others who have pretty obvious flaws, like Hemingway i wouldnt say are bad at writing dialogue.

i think there are things to nag about american writers but probably dialogue is not one of them. also i find most european writers worse at writing dialogue. except for the spanish ones and some of the french
>>
They were raised on snappy, stilted television dialogue, which is based on vaudeville dialogue, which focused on short, easy sentences said loudly with big pauses between them for laughter.

/thread
>>
File: nazi_troons.png (524 KB, 836x563)
524 KB
524 KB PNG
>>23316016
>they don't know
>>
File: 32432.gif (32 KB, 640x640)
32 KB
32 KB GIF
>>23316032
>like a chore they have to undergo which momentarily prevents them from shoving more cornslop into their mouths.
>>
>>23316016
Someone’s never read Faulkner huh
>>
>>23316101
I’m amazed at how much they spend discussing us when we rarely even give a moments notice to their irrelevant shitholes.
>>
>>23316986
Didn’t know George Washington loved vaudeville. Learn something knew everyday. Thank you, shitskin. You may go back into the fields, now.
>>
>>23316016
>dialogues that sound like shit Hollywood movies:the type that tries to sound quirk and smart but looks dumb as fuck in real life and unnatural when used all the time by every single character
I, for one, know what you mean, OP, and despise it equally.
>>
>>23316016
i do not get the impression you have read anything (as you did not cite any particular book for the purposes of discussion) and are merely posting /int/ bait
however even by your limited metric of things you have actually most likely witnessed (television, film) the trophy for expertly written dialogue continues to go directly to the americans
there is nothing produced anywhere that is as well-crafted as sopranos dialogue just to use one example (and if by some miracle you were serious i believe >>23316910 provides more actual, literary evidence that american writers produce the best dialogue)
>>
>>23317580
>You are wrong
>Here is proof
>Guy who just says they are wrong
>Also sopranos
Grim, why do tripfags even post.
>>
>>23317580
i get the impression that the stick you have up your ass is long enough to disable your cognitive abilities but i pretty much agree with what you said. confederacy of dunces is a novel that i said that has great dialogue in it. for mccarthy you can count blood meridian or even no country for old men (just for dialogue). i think as i said, that even hemingway has good dialogue in a farewell to arms but more importantly in fiesta (not that the novels are great or flawless). don delillo has good dialogue in great jones street imo, and the other contemporary writers like DFW (infinite jest) write great dialogue.

i was serious and i still think that some of the spanish and some of the french are still superior
>>
>>23317649
who would you recommend among the french or spanish? or would that be a waste because english speakers would end up needing a translation?
>>
I'm American and this country sucks. I don't get the annoying patriotism I see people have when it gets made fun of. We introduced basically everything bad in the world.
>>
>>23317664
American exceptionalism
>>
File: superior.jpg (375 KB, 3000x1680)
375 KB
375 KB JPG
>>23316016
>I like to read and I'm not above reading novels by new authors or even webnovels when bored.
You're reading shitty dialogue because you're reading shitty authors. But instead of realizing that, you deduce that it must be an American thing because every non-American on the internet assumes everyone else is American for some reason.
>>23317664
You must be 18 to post here
>>
>>23317652
for Cervantes there are plenty of good translations, i dont know if there are for el Buscon of Quevedo, for example. Calderon and Gongora are great too, but i guess there would be better translations for the first than for the latter.
then the more contemporary ones are not relevant enough so probably theres no translations out there for Juan Marse. the first novels by Cela have great dialogue as well and i suppose there are translation that are worth it

for the french i like bataille but mostly Céline if we are talking about dialogue

maybe its crazy but imo if the translation is well done there is no problem using it, and what you lose is not the essential
>>
File: Quentin-Tarantino.jpg (123 KB, 800x651)
123 KB
123 KB JPG
>>23316016
>tries to sound quirk and smart but looks dumb as fuck in real life and unnatural
A lot of hack writing is from writers imitating this guy.
>>
>>23317715
I came here to say something else but yea this is quintessential burgerprose
>>
>>23317693
>because every non-American on the internet assumes everyone else is American for some reason.
Americans are the main characters, of course they would
>>
>>23317718
the "kill bill" script is a fucking joke. you would think it's written by a six year old, with all the capitalized onomatopoeia "accentuating" the action. and they use this guy to teach script-writing. fucking clown
>>
File: lollmao.png (75 KB, 891x609)
75 KB
75 KB PNG
>>23317758
Holy shit lmao
>>
>>23317758
His once upon a time book is a perfect example too. Got it because of margot robbie feet on the cover tho.
>>
>>23317758
>>23317785
writing certain things in all caps is proper formatting for a screenplay. iirc this includes character names (or at least when they’re first introduced) as well as anything that is a stunt, special effect, etc that requires special actions from the crew. I don’t remember the exact rules for it but you could google them instead of embarrassing yourself itt.
>>
>>23317799
this is a thread for non-Americans embarrassing themselves
>>
>>23317799
Dont agree with the other anon but people do emulate him and his convos are fucking laughably bad.
>>
File: terminator.png (32 KB, 506x484)
32 KB
32 KB PNG
>>23317785
>>23317799
It's still excessive even for a film script. It feels like I'm listening to a kid narrate a story he drew on a piece of scrap paper, especially the BLOWING IT TO SMITHEREENS part.
Picrel does the same thing with capitalizing for emphasis, but in a more concise and nuanced way
>>
File: 1692986632992.png (18 KB, 346x322)
18 KB
18 KB PNG
Ever wonder if you would have this much seethe in you if you weren't an American? Like what causes it?
Lack of notability?
>>
>>23317785
>>23317830
There are no dialogues in these examples.
>>
>>23317923
>if you weren't an american
I wonder if you actually intended to say this
>>
>>23316240
American moment
>>
>>23316262
You mean the American south? Yeah as a non-American I do quite like their accent for being more unique and joyful



[Advertise on 4chan]

Delete Post: [File Only] Style:
[Disable Mobile View / Use Desktop Site]

[Enable Mobile View / Use Mobile Site]

All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective parties. Images uploaded are the responsibility of the Poster. Comments are owned by the Poster.