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Post by karina on Dec 7, 2005 10:04:33 GMT -5
What do you all think of Kate's excessive use of hyphens & dashes? When I first read The Making of the African Queen, I have to say it kind of annoyed me. But then I got used to it, saw where she was coming from, and had to admit it singled her out and was another way of emphasizing the unique Katharine Hepburn personality. That said, I've just been reading Eats Shoots & Leaves in which the author points out that: "The main reason people use it (the dash) is that they know you can't use it wrongly." and "In abundance they (dashes & hyphens) suggest baroque and hyperactive silliness" but also: "Emily Dickinson's extraordinary penchant for dashes has been said to be a mirror into her own synapses, symbolising the analogical leaps and flashes of advanced cognition" I prefer to think Kate used them this way
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Post by Judy on Dec 7, 2005 12:16:51 GMT -5
What do you all think of Kate's excessive use of hyphens & dashes? When I first read The Making of the African Queen, I have to say it kind of annoyed me. But then I got used to it, saw where she was coming from, and had to admit it singled her out and was another way of emphasizing the unique Katharine Hepburn personality. That said, I've just been reading Eats Shoots & Leaves in which the author points out that: "The main reason people use it (the dash) is that they know you can't use it wrongly." and "In abundance they (dashes & hyphens) suggest baroque and hyperactive silliness" but also: "Emily Dickinson's extraordinary penchant for dashes has been said to be a mirror into her own synapses, symbolising the analogical leaps and flashes of advanced cognition" I prefer to think Kate used them this way Hi, Karina -- I -- personally -- LOVE dashes -- I use them -- constantly -- when writing -- either personally -- where no one cares -- or professionally -- where they do, but even though not always gramatically correct, I still love 'em. Occasionally I'll use a comma or a period -- like at the end of that last sentence or this one. But only to allow people to take a breath. :-) I've always loved Kate's comment that she would add periods to letters only if she thought the person on the receiving end would think she was totally uneducated if she didn't, but that she hated a period cause it was like having a tree felled in her path. As with that great quote about Dickinson, she also said that it was an indication of the way she thought. So like Emily, it was a perfect reflection of the way her mind worked. Hyperactive silliness? No! :-( Advanced cognition? Definitely! :-) JS
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Post by Sherry on Dec 7, 2005 14:13:11 GMT -5
Advanced cognition -- I'll vote for that. : )
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Post by Cate on Dec 7, 2005 19:45:03 GMT -5
So cool. I love dashes and commas and the "..." thing. I tend to write like I speak -- usually in forums or personal e-mails (I DO know how to write a formal letter just in case you were wondering (I'm sure you were)). The way she wrote is one of the things I loved. She was a genius. You really did feel like she was talking to you or you were listening in on a conversation. As for advanced cognition -- count my vote in as well. ;D
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Post by Cate on Dec 7, 2005 19:46:08 GMT -5
Oh yeah, and apparently parentheses. Can't forget those.
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Post by Cate on Dec 7, 2005 19:50:47 GMT -5
Oh! Speaking of Kate's writing style, Prideaux seemed to think she wasn't that great. It could be because I was reading in the wee hours of the morning and wasn't completely coherent but he made it sound like she thought she was this wonderful writer -- considered herself one of them (as well as a painter (but in my book, if you paint and enjoy it, you're a painter -- doesn't matter if you're "good") but he didn't think so. Did I read right? One of the things I'm not liking about this book is Prideaux is almost TOO unbiased -- YES that's possible. In this case.
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Post by Cate on Dec 7, 2005 20:54:35 GMT -5
Her handwriting alone is an abstract masterpiece. ;D Anyone a handwriting expert? I'd say free-spirited, hates boundaries (by the way she writes all the way to the end of the page and the writing is very free in form -- to the point where you can't even see a word. Just a scribble and a line.
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Post by Shaun on Dec 7, 2005 21:18:32 GMT -5
Hyphens--and--dashes--are--great--I--vote--advanced--cognition--too ;D
How could anyone make heads or tails of Kate's writing?
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Post by HollywoodHepcat on Dec 7, 2005 21:38:43 GMT -5
Count me in-as well-advanced cognition-all-the-way!~ ;D I love the way Kate made her 'p's and her 'd's, 'fraid I copied it....tee-hee. The way Kate wrote the addresses on her envelopes its a wonder they got to their destination at all. I love what Gar Kanin said to her about getting her a box of punctuation for Christmas. LoL. Basically, every little tiny thing about Kate is completely fascinating from the way she wrote to how she brushed her teeth..
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Post by Cate on Dec 7, 2005 22:18:54 GMT -5
Ha! Caught you editing. By the way, I saw Island Gardenia at the store the other day -- I think you called it Jungle Gardenia -- which is it? Anyway, that smell reminds me of my grandmother. It actually smells kind of good for an old lady perfume. I spritzed it in the air to smell it... but of course I got some on myself so all day I smelled like island gardenias (or Katharine Hepburn ;D ). You know you're obsessed when. . .
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Post by Shaun on Dec 7, 2005 22:21:53 GMT -5
Didn't she say she used soap to brush her teeth?...Yick! Is that what they used back then, or is that what she called toothpaste?
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Post by karina on Dec 8, 2005 11:49:38 GMT -5
Shaun - er, how did we get from writing style to soap:)? Whilst we're at it, why did she always use rubbing alcohol on her face, especially as it doesn't sound like she had the most beautiful skin to start with.
And yeah - advanced cognition is 100% correct!!
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Post by Cate on Dec 8, 2005 13:59:08 GMT -5
Rubbing alcohol is kind of like using toner (only a lot more drying) and since she was always sweating -- according to her -- I'm assuming she used it to cleanse in between cleansing. She seemed like a very clean person. And she didn't seem like the kind of person who fussed over what her skin looked like so long as it was clean. I'm sure if she used a little more moisturizer her skin would have been better as she grew older -- bt the fact that she didn't wear makeup too often probably helped. Unless all that pancake make-up she wore onstage and in films was enough to make up for the make-up she didn't wear. Anyway, alcohol on the face does feel good, though. You should try it, just not too frequently.
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Post by smith on Dec 8, 2005 14:52:36 GMT -5
I believe that Kathariine had sensitive skin being a readhead and having freckles .
Unfortunately she also suffered severe sundamage while filming The African Queen
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Post by Cate on Dec 8, 2005 14:57:29 GMT -5
This is true -- she also suffered sundamage because of her athletic abilities.
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