The Lexile Map

Researchers have found a way of quantifying verbal complexity and classifying books according to a numerical scale, called the Lexile Scale. This is especially useful to learners of the language to better choose books in their range of difficulty.

Have a look at a Lexile Map of famous works according to the scale.

The elitist in me thinks that this is a wonderful tool for avoiding unchallenging books and seeking out challenging ones that might improve my language proficiency.

On the other hand:

- Ernest Hemingway

Certainly a very useful tool for language learners though.

Wow. That was condescending. Have we missed a Flame War between Nobel Prizes?

In fairness, what Faulkner said to prompt that was equally condescending: "[Hemingway] has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary."

Not actually intended as an insult, but Hemingway took it as one.

The broader point is that using complex words in large numbers does not decent writing make. It's one of Orwell's rules for effective writing actually. Lexile map is still a great resource though.

Huh....Art of War being up there...

More related though. Purple Prose + Tropes Are Not Bad.

Lovecraft uses lots of weird words. Shakespeare (Though tbh I do not know how many of the things of shakespeare would have made more sense in its appropriate time, as compared to ours) uses lots of weird analogies. They are both complicated but in different ways. So I dunno.

edited 15th Jan '15 1:17:23 PM by Aszur

Lovecraft is terribly overrated, and, more importantly, extremely dated and provincial, by modern standards. His writing style tastes like a stew that has had too many spices poured into it. It tries to come off as tasty, but instead it's just gaudy and awkward.

Just my opinion.

That depends on the intent of the author and whether or not they are seeking pure descriptions, language aesthetics or a combination of both. Wordsworth was fond of the word dulcimer because it suited his rustic, lofty poetic tone. However, the actual instrument is kind of a funky, twangy box that sounds a lot like a banjo. It's certainly not a bad instrument, and Wordsworth was well aware of the contradiction. It was kind of his point (that beauty can be found in unexpected places).

Victor Frankenstein's erudite loquaciousness is actually an important part of his characterization because his diction informs us that he is an emotionally detached and dishonest scientist who hides behind pseudo-rationalist arguments to shirk responsibility for his actions. The way he uses fancy phrases to fend off moral interrogations gives you a telltale sign that both you and he know he's full of shit. Likewise, the monster's increasingly advanced wording illustrates how terrifying intelligent and observant he becomes throughout the novel.

Like it's already been said, Tropes Are Tools, and overly florid language can be very useful like most other writing techniques.

Back on topic, the list is pretty decent although I'm a bit iffy about some of them being placed where they are.

edited 15th Jan '15 5:34:59 PM by Aprilla

@ Achamaenid's post

Holy crap George Orwell looks like young Stalin.