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Monday, May 09, 2005
Teresa Takes on the Flesh Ratings
Oops, I mean the Flesch-Kincaid reading scale thingie. I think it's a fun thing to play with but not a particularly useful tool. Just because someone writes in short, declarative sentences, that doesn't naturally mean that their stories are any less complicated. (Hemingway, anyone?) Nor do I think that someone should change their natural voice in an attempt to reach a broader reading audience. That would be like Sarah Brightman or Barbra Streisand suddenly trying to sing like Eminem.
This all brings to mind a conversation Liz and I had several years ago when FRASIER first debuted. We were talking about how much we loved the fact that they never underestimated the intelligence of their audience. They didn't edit out obscure literary references just because they were afraid that someone might not "get it". Let's face it--if everybody dumbed down their prose in an attempt to reach a broader audience, a lot of us wouldn't have anything left to read.
This all brings to mind a conversation Liz and I had several years ago when FRASIER first debuted. We were talking about how much we loved the fact that they never underestimated the intelligence of their audience. They didn't edit out obscure literary references just because they were afraid that someone might not "get it". Let's face it--if everybody dumbed down their prose in an attempt to reach a broader audience, a lot of us wouldn't have anything left to read.
Teresa Medeiros, 10:03 AM
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