Topic Actions

Topic Search

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests

It was a dark and stormy night.

This fascinating series is a combination of historical seafaring, swashbuckling adventure, and high technological science-fiction. Join us in a discussion!
It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Tonto Silerheels   » Thu May 12, 2016 8:20 pm

Tonto Silerheels
Captain of the List

Posts: 454
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:01 pm

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

Louis R
Rear Admiral

Posts: 1298
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 9:25 pm

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

Tonto Silerheels
Captain of the List

Posts: 454
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:01 pm

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

AClone
Captain of the List

Posts: 743
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 6:38 pm
Location: Midwestern United States

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.
Top
Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Tonto Silerheels   » Fri May 13, 2016 5:28 pm

Tonto Silerheels
Captain of the List

Posts: 454
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:01 pm

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

phillies
Admiral

Posts: 2077
Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2010 9:43 am
Location: Worcester, MA

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.
Top
Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Peter2   » Sat May 14, 2016 6:31 am

Peter2
Captain (Junior Grade)

Posts: 371
Joined: Tue Sep 02, 2014 10:54 am

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.
.
Top
Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by saber964   » Sat May 14, 2016 6:41 pm

saber964
Admiral

Posts: 2423
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:41 pm
Location: Spokane WA USA

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.
Top
Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by isaac_newton   » Mon May 16, 2016 4:25 am

isaac_newton
Rear Admiral

Posts: 1182
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 6:37 am
Location: Brighton, UK

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.
Top
Re: It was a dark and stormy night.
Post by Annachie   » Tue May 17, 2016 7:38 am

Annachie
Fleet Admiral

Posts: 3099
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2011 7:36 pm

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

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You are so going to die. :p ~~~~ runsforcelery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
still not dead. :)
Top

Return to Safehold