Tuesday, August 22, 2006
archaic
archaic - adj - Of, relating to, or characteristic of a much earlier, often more primitive period, especially one that develops into a classic stage of civilization.
I'm still plugging Shakespeare.
One of the obstacles to a modern reader's enjoyment of Shakespeare is his language, which is generously peppered with obsolete or archaic words. For an example of the former, there's "sirrah," which I used yesterday. For an example of the latter, there's "fond," which in Shakespeare's time meant "foolish." That's why most editions of his works are heavily footnoted. It's hard to enjoy a play when you must constantly be glancing at the bottom of a page (or a facing page) to get a definition, but there's a simple solution: read more Shakespeare, and you'll find yourself growing accustomed to his Elizabethan English. How say you?
I'm still plugging Shakespeare.
One of the obstacles to a modern reader's enjoyment of Shakespeare is his language, which is generously peppered with obsolete or archaic words. For an example of the former, there's "sirrah," which I used yesterday. For an example of the latter, there's "fond," which in Shakespeare's time meant "foolish." That's why most editions of his works are heavily footnoted. It's hard to enjoy a play when you must constantly be glancing at the bottom of a page (or a facing page) to get a definition, but there's a simple solution: read more Shakespeare, and you'll find yourself growing accustomed to his Elizabethan English. How say you?
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