Las alarmas del Dr Américo Castro

Borges



Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas populares de este blog

La categoría de la ciencia ficción en América Latina

                              La categoría de la ciencia ficción en América Latina  La ciencia ficción pareciera encontrarse en un plano bastante comercial en los Estados Unidos. Es común ver los anaqueles de las tiendas con novelas, recopilaciones y análisis sobre la ciencia ficción. Incluso, el cine y la televisión la explotan continuamente y cada día adquiere más y más seguidores de distintas generaciones. Sin embargo, ¿por qué no puede hablarse del mismo nivel de consumo en América Latina? Durante una de las clases el Dr. Albujar mencionó que, respecto a la literatura escrita en español, el género es equiparado a la fantasía. ¿Es posible catalogar la ciencia ficción con el mismo género de las hadas y los orcos, los fantasmas y las maldiciones? ¿En dónde queda el componente científico en dichos casos?    Si bien, no tengo respuesta a por qué las asociaciones literarias en Amér...
Leer más

Rhetorical Styles in Spanish and English

Academic writing in English tends to be direct and to-the-point. In Spanish, in contrast, sentences are typically longer, with more subordinate clauses, resulting in greater complexity. Acknowledging some of these basic differences, it is also necessary to point out that adept writers in either language will typically vary the length and structure of their sentences. There are certain values, like clarity, concision, and elegance, that remain desirable when writing in English or Spanish. The result of several short sentences in a row is a kind of "choppiness."  By the same token, writing exclusively in long, ornate sentences can be equally monotonous, especially if the sentences are not well-constructed. A preference for the rhetorical style typical of Spanish academic writing is no excuse for confusing, badly punctuated run-on sentences. That is just careless writing.   I noticed that some members of the class like the idea of the "shitty first draft." I probably w...
Leer más

Complete Sentences in English

 I will now play the complete sentence game in English. I played it in written form, in Spanish, in the post below, and produced 378 words in fifteen minutes. I suspect that I will be able to write (and type) and bit faster in my native language, since it is also the language in which I write my books and articles. The rules of the game, as you might remember, are straightforward: you speak, write, or think in complete sentences for a given period of time, or indefinitely, as the case might be. The game in itself lacks any overt purpose, except as a remedy for insomnia, but I think it might be used as a kind of practice. We are so used to praising imperfection and wanting to accept our shortcomings. This is generally a positive thing, but I think we often undervalue the importance of doing things well. That is my objection to Anne Lamott's idea of the "shitty first draft." I am aware that my drafts improve as my writing in general improves, as is the case with any skill. ...
Leer más