delurk

There was some book I picked up that had come highly recommended, but it started with an entire chapter in italics, and I just could get far enough into it to figure out whether I liked it or not.)

Was it Empire Falls? I almost didn't get past that first chapter either. I did eventually find it worthwhile, but entire chapters in italics are HARD to read. I do fine with the occasional paragraph.

Was it Empire Falls? I almost didn't get past that first chapter either.

No. That one, I struggled with, but I'd seen the movie already and wanted to see how the book played out. The one I couldn't get through was -- damn, what was it called? From a few years ago, about the guy looking for his roots in Poland, his family was mostly killed in the Holocaust, and the italics sections were all first-person narration from the tour guide, so in addition to italics it was totally off syntax -- what was that book called? I can picture the cover, but not the title.

Oh, was it "Everything is Illuminated"? Saw the movie, never read the book. LOVED the movie, but am now a little less inclined to read the book.

Everything is Illuminated

Yep. That one.

OK - having finally got the blurbs I need, I'm finishing my book proposal. So the blurbs about a paragraph each - I guess can just be put in a different font - courier new, since the main proposal is in Times New Roman. And should underline for book titles, journal names and organizations? Or should I mix it up - bold for one italics for another underline for the third? Or italics for all three?

No, I don't do entire chapters in italics.

But here's a sample; this is from Matty Groves:

---

Penny, suddenly and too late understanding her own physical discomfort, her inability to breathe properly, swung around toward Jane. Every nerve in her body was suddenly jangling, screaming a warning: go get out move hurry go.

With a thunderous echo, the ballroom doors slammed shut. It happened fast, a speed too quick for the human eye. They all heard the sickening screech of metal gouging wood as the heavy bolts at the bottom of each door were forcibly dragged across the parquet floors of the hall.

The moment of total quiet that followed was broken by Charlotte's voice. It rang out, clear and imperative.

"Ringan! Get Penny out of here - hurry!"

Penny wrenched her head around. Charlotte was on her feet, backlit by the stage lights; her hair was wild and electric. She looked uncanny, and imposing, and very beautiful. As Penny struggled to focus, she saw Julian jump from the stage and stop at Charlotte's side.

A voice, an echo of the charnel house, filled the room.

You filthy Catholic scum, you with your fine silks and your hawks and your hounds, you with all your ill-got privilege, you should have burned, all of you, this is mine, it should have been for me,'twas meant for me

"Out." Ringan had reached Penny's side; he was struggling, his chest heaving, as if he tried to walk through water moving toward and around him. "Now."

---

The voice they're hearing - the ghost's voice - has to be demarcated in some fashion. I did them initially in parens, but SMP said no, they actually preferred the itals. So do I.

That's the way I think italics should be used, Deb. For when you need to set something apart that there is no other clear way to do it. Internal thoughts and/or non-human speech, word emphasis during dialogue, foreign words, anything that having it changes the meaning of the sentence. Not as a form of description in and of itself.

Underline looks wrong to me for anything other than hyperlinks any more, even in print.

In my genealogy file I cite book titles and journal names in italics (or allcaps when italics are not available, it's a problem with a particular program I use), article titles in double quotes, and organizations in initial caps.

One more question. The reference books I have say that the promotion plan should avoid the use of the word "I" unless you are somebody famous. But basically my promotion plan consists of personal committments to do stuff. I'm really feeling silly changing all the "I" statements to "the author". I mean my name is the only one on the proposal (other than my blubs). Follow my instincts or listen to the reference books and say "the author".

(blink)

TB, I have to say "the author" sounds ten times more pretentious and self-important than a nice simple pronoun.

I'm all about the "I".