Reading the reviews
6/8/10 12:29![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darkemeraldsWhile I hammer away at the last few chapters of Restraint, people reading have left me some absolutely wonderful comments--comments that are to my creative satisfaction what a big royalty check must be to a published author.
Every now and then, though, I go digging around to see what people are saying about the story who aren't addressing their comments directly to me, and then I find some fun things.
One advises other readers to use global search-and-replace on the ridiculous character names, and convert them to [specific other names preferred, apparently, by the recommender] to make the story readable.
Another, in a similar vein, cautions potential readers that so many real-person names are unrecognizable that they'll have trouble following the story, and warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas.
I'm so tempted to take the Gutenberg text of Pride and Prejudice and change every instance of "Darcy" to "Benedict Cumberbatch" now. And swap every instance of "Christmas" with "National Day of the Cowboy!" (complete with exclamation mark), like this:
"I sincerely hope your National Day of the Cowboy! in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings..." because how could it not?
and
Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Benedict Cumberbatch was continually giving offense."
Then you could change the "Bingley"s to "Martin Freeman." There'd be no end to the fun!
Every now and then, though, I go digging around to see what people are saying about the story who aren't addressing their comments directly to me, and then I find some fun things.
One advises other readers to use global search-and-replace on the ridiculous character names, and convert them to [specific other names preferred, apparently, by the recommender] to make the story readable.
Another, in a similar vein, cautions potential readers that so many real-person names are unrecognizable that they'll have trouble following the story, and warns that the same authorial arrogance has led me to change the very name of Christmas to Michaelmas.
I'm so tempted to take the Gutenberg text of Pride and Prejudice and change every instance of "Darcy" to "Benedict Cumberbatch" now. And swap every instance of "Christmas" with "National Day of the Cowboy!" (complete with exclamation mark), like this:
"I sincerely hope your National Day of the Cowboy! in Hertfordshire may abound in the gaieties which that season generally brings..." because how could it not?
and
Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Benedict Cumberbatch was continually giving offense."
Then you could change the "Bingley"s to "Martin Freeman." There'd be no end to the fun!
(no subject)
6/8/10 20:56 (UTC)Oh, my ears and whiskers! The HUMANITY!
::weeps with laughter::
Oh, dear God. BLESS them!
You were much on my mind this evening, my dear! My mother and I have just been over to Canon Hall, a mile or so from my parents' house, to spend a very enjoyable evening witnessing a performance of Undressing Mr Darcy. The banter between Gillian Stapleton and this evening's Mr Darcy (a splendid young gentleman called Oliver, apparently, who's an actor by profession, and who filled out his ensemble admirably, and read the various excerpts from Regency letters, novels and memoirs with marvellous animation) was quite splendid, and I've come away with a determination to find a copy of the memoirs of Regency courtesan Harriette Wilson asap.
(We heard about the evening a couple of weeks back, while visiting the Fashion and Passion display of costumes from various Austen films and TV adaptations arrayed around the house - it really did help bring the place to life, along with the period music being played in the background. I've visited Canon Hall & its landscaped gardens ever since I was a babe in arms, but it was rather lovely getting to see it all in a new light. Apparently 'Lost in Austen' was filmed there! Which leads me to conclude that I really must see about getting hold of a copy, stat.)
Meanwhile I applaud your determination to do a search and replace on P&P, replacing the tired old Austenian names (who, after all, can muster up any interest in FICTIONAL persons?) with such sensible Real Life names as Bendytrick Cucumberpatch and Martin Freeman.
::ponders::
Actually, upon reflection, Candlewick Bandersnatch* might be better suited to the role of Marianne, and Martin to Eleanor? Or Martin to Anne Eliot, and Brandybuck to Captain Wentworth? Although, really, I don't know the first thing about either of the gentlemen beyond their appearance & thespian prowess, so heaven knows.
(*I'm almost sure that I'll get over this game soon. Probably.)
(no subject)
6/8/10 22:00 (UTC)And as for "Undressing Mr Darcy"--oh dear God! I can only hope that such a thing might still be available at my next visit to the sceptred isle, or at least, put on video somewhere. *swoons*
As far as I'm concerned, the game of renaming Mr. Cumberbatch might possibly never grow old.