Nabokov's favorite word is mauve: what the numbers reveal about the classics, bestsellers, and our own writing
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. 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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Subjects
Subjects
Authors
Authors -- History and criticism
Authors -- Statistics
Authorship
Authorship -- Miscellanea
Authorship -- Technique
Books
Books -- Statistics
Canon (Literature)
Fiction
Fiction -- History and criticism
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language and languages
Language and languages -- Word frequency
Language Arts
Literary Criticism
Nonfiction
Statistics
Technique
Word frequency
Authors -- History and criticism
Authors -- Statistics
Authorship
Authorship -- Miscellanea
Authorship -- Technique
Books
Books -- Statistics
Canon (Literature)
Fiction
Fiction -- History and criticism
History and criticism
Humor (Nonfiction)
Language and languages
Language and languages -- Word frequency
Language Arts
Literary Criticism
Nonfiction
Statistics
Technique
Word frequency
More Details
Contributors:
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 | 2021-01-25 02:27:02AM |
Last Indexed | 2021-01-25 02:51:02AM |
Novelist Primary ISBN | none |
Solr Details
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auth_author2 | Adam, Vikas. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author | Blatt, Ben, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
author2-role | Adam, Vikas. hoopla digital. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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display_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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format_category_catalog | Audio Books Books eBook | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
id | 48d69329-9835-02f4-b481-62967bbce2fa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
isbn | 9781501105388 9781541428065 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
item_details
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itype_catalog | Adult Book Non-Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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lexile_score | -1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form | Non Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
literary_form_full | Non Fiction | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
local_callnumber_catalog | 809 B644 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_library_catalog | Sacramento Public Library | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
owning_location_catalog | Central Fair Oaks | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
primary_isbn | 9781501105388 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
publishDate | 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
record_details
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recordtype | grouped_work | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
scoping_details_catalog
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
subject_facet | Authors -- History and criticism Authors -- Statistics Authorship -- Miscellanea Authorship -- Technique Books -- Statistics Canon (Literature) Fiction -- History and criticism Language and languages -- Word frequency 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 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 [electronic resource] / 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 Authorship Books Canon (Literature) Fiction History and criticism Humor (Nonfiction) Language Arts Language and languages Literary Criticism Nonfiction Technique Word frequency |