Nabokov's favorite word is mauve: what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
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Publisher:
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Publication Date:
2017
Language:
English
Description
What are our favorite authors favorite words? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? How can we judge a book by its cover? Data meets literature in this playful and informative look at our favorite authors and their masterpieces. A literary detective story: fast-paced, thought-provoking, and intriguing. Brian Christian, coauthor of Algorithms to Live By Theres a famous piece of writing adviceoffered by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and myriad writers in betweennot to use -ly adverbs like quickly or fitfully. It sounds like solid advice, but can we actually test it? If we were to count all the -ly adverbs these authors used in their careers, do they follow their own advice compared to other celebrated authors? Whats more, do great books in generalthe classics and the bestsellersshare this trait? In Nabokovs Favorite Word Is Mauve , statistician and journalist Ben Blatt brings big data to the literary canon, exploring the wealth of fun findings that remain hidden in the works of the worlds greatest writers. He assembles a database of thousands of books and hundreds of millions of words, and starts asking the questions that have intrigued curious word nerds and book lovers for generations: What are our favorite authors favorite words? Do men and women write differently? Are bestsellers getting dumber over time? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? What makes a great opening sentence? How can we judge a book by its cover? And which writerly advice is worth following or ignoring? Blatt draws upon existing analysis techniques and invents some of his own. All of his investigations and experiments are original, conducted himself, and no math knowledge is needed to understand the results. Blatt breaks his findings down into lucid, humorous language and clear and compelling visuals. This eye-opening book will provide you with a new appreciation for your favorite authors and a fresh perspective on your own writing, illuminating both the patterns that hold great prose together and the brilliant flourishes that make it unforgettable.
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ISBN:
9781501105388
9781541428065
9781541428065
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 48d69329-9835-02f4-b481-62967bbce2fa |
---|---|
Grouping Title | nabokovs favorite word is mauve what the numbers reveal about the classics bestsellers and our own writing |
Grouping Author | ben blatt |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-09-07 02:15:45AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-09-07 02:30:59AM |
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What are our favorite authors favorite words? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? How can we judge a book by its cover? Data meets literature in this playful and informative look at our favorite authors and their masterpieces. A literary detective story: fast-paced, thought-provoking, and intriguing. Brian Christian, coauthor of Algorithms to Live By Theres a famous piece of writing adviceoffered by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, and myriad writers in betweennot to use -ly adverbs like quickly or fitfully. It sounds like solid advice, but can we actually test it? If we were to count all the -ly adverbs these authors used in their careers, do they follow their own advice compared to other celebrated authors? Whats more, do great books in generalthe classics and the bestsellersshare this trait? In Nabokovs Favorite Word Is Mauve , statistician and journalist Ben Blatt brings big data to the literary canon, exploring the wealth of fun findings that remain hidden in the works of the worlds greatest writers. He assembles a database of thousands of books and hundreds of millions of words, and starts asking the questions that have intrigued curious word nerds and book lovers for generations: What are our favorite authors favorite words? Do men and women write differently? Are bestsellers getting dumber over time? Which bestselling writer uses the most clichés? What makes a great opening sentence? How can we judge a book by its cover? And which writerly advice is worth following or ignoring? Blatt draws upon existing analysis techniques and invents some of his own. All of his investigations and experiments are original, conducted himself, and no math knowledge is needed to understand the results. Blatt breaks his findings down into lucid, humorous language and clear and compelling visuals. This eye-opening book will provide you with a new appreciation for your favorite authors and a fresh perspective on your own writing, illuminating both the patterns that hold great prose together and the brilliant flourishes that make it unforgettable.
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Sylvan Oaks
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grouped_work
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Authors -- History and criticism
Authors -- Statistics
Fiction -- History and criticism
Games
Humor
Language and languages
Mathematics
Statistics
Authors -- Statistics
Fiction -- History and criticism
Games
Humor
Language and languages
Mathematics
Statistics
title_display
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
title_full
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve : What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing [electronic resource] / Ben Blatt
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing / Ben Blatt
Nabokov's Favorite Word Is Mauve What the Numbers Reveal About the Classics, Bestsellers, and Our Own Writing
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve : what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing / Ben Blatt
title_short
Nabokov's favorite word is mauve
title_sub
what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
topic_facet
Authors
Fiction
Games
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language Arts
Language and languages
Literary Criticism
Mathematics
Nonfiction
Fiction
Games
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language Arts
Language and languages
Literary Criticism
Mathematics
Nonfiction
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