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It was a dark and stormy night.

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It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Tonto Silerheels   » Thu May 12, 2016 8:20 pm

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Has anyone else noticed that Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Paul Clifford and David Weber's How Firm a Foundation both start, "It was a dark and stormy night?"

~Tonto
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Louis R   » Fri May 13, 2016 9:33 am

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Ummm...no. AAMOF, I just looked, and I'm still not noticing it.

Tonto Silerheels wrote:Has anyone else noticed that Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Paul Clifford and David Weber's How Firm a Foundation both start, "It was a dark and stormy night?"

~Tonto
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Tonto Silerheels   » Fri May 13, 2016 1:59 pm

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The exact line is, "Nights didn't come much darker, Merlin Athrawes reflected as he stood gazing up at the cloud-choked, stormy sky."

~Tonto
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by AClone   » Fri May 13, 2016 2:28 pm

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Tonto Silerheels wrote:The exact line is, "Nights didn't come much darker, Merlin Athrawes reflected as he stood gazing up at the cloud-choked, stormy sky."

~Tonto

So, in other words, they don't start the same way.
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Tonto Silerheels   » Fri May 13, 2016 5:28 pm

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Wikipedia has this to say about the titular line: "It was a dark and stormy night" is an often-mocked and parodied phrase[1] written by English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the opening sentence of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford.[2] The phrase is considered to represent "the archetypal example of a florid, melodramatic style of fiction writing,"[1] also known as purple prose.

I think our estimable author has intentionally parodied this line, and has waited for the first person to notice.

~Tonto
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by phillies   » Fri May 13, 2016 11:16 pm

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Tonto Silerheels wrote:Wikipedia has this to say about the titular line: "It was a dark and stormy night" is an often-mocked and parodied phrase[1] written by English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the opening sentence of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford.[2] The phrase is considered to represent "the archetypal example of a florid, melodramatic style of fiction writing,"[1] also known as purple prose.

I think our estimable author has intentionally parodied this line, and has waited for the first person to notice.

~Tonto


Baron Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton was generally viewed, in period, as the greatest living Victorian novelist.

He must have been good. He wrote a science fiction novel.
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Peter2   » Sat May 14, 2016 6:31 am

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phillies wrote:Baron Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton was generally viewed, in period, as the greatest living Victorian novelist.

He must have been good. He wrote a science fiction novel.


Jack Vance had a minor dig at him in one of his "Demon Princes" books when he related how the planets in the Rigel Concourse acquired the names they became known by. I'm not sure which one, but it may be The Star King.
.
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by saber964   » Sat May 14, 2016 6:41 pm

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phillies wrote:
Tonto Silerheels wrote:Wikipedia has this to say about the titular line: "It was a dark and stormy night" is an often-mocked and parodied phrase[1] written by English novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton in the opening sentence of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford.[2] The phrase is considered to represent "the archetypal example of a florid, melodramatic style of fiction writing,"[1] also known as purple prose.

I think our estimable author has intentionally parodied this line, and has waited for the first person to notice.

~Tonto


Baron Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton was generally viewed, in period, as the greatest living Victorian novelist.

He must have been good. He wrote a science fiction novel.



Several authors of the Victorian era wrote what could be considered SiFic like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by isaac_newton   » Mon May 16, 2016 4:25 am

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saber964 wrote:
phillies wrote: SNIP

Baron Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton was generally viewed, in period, as the greatest living Victorian novelist.

He must have been good. He wrote a science fiction novel.



Several authors of the Victorian era wrote what could be considered SiFic like Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.


Dont forget Rudyard Kipling, some of his stories are SF.
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Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Annachie   » Tue May 17, 2016 7:38 am

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There's also an international competition every year based on it.

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