Kurt Vonnegut seemed to like the story of Cinderella. He alluded to it often. I submit that he went so far as to write his own version. He called it Slaughterhouse-Five. My claim may well be preposterous. Slaughterhouse-Five is not shiny or moralistic like fairy tales. It breaks most of the rules of narrative that fairy tales, particularly Cinderella, rigidly follow. Yet there … [Read more...] about Cinderella Goes to War
New Slang: Boys and Girls of the 1920s
The legacy of the 1920s is the most vibrant of the early twentieth century, and its slang terminology reflects it. With numerous phrases and words created for dressing up, dancing, entertainment, and flirting, the language itself seemed eager to be frivolous and carefree. Few of the forged colloquialisms appeared to be about somber warnings or war, unlike previous decades; the … [Read more...] about New Slang: Boys and Girls of the 1920s
New Slang: A Fresh Batch of 1910s Jargon
The 1910s have yet a lot more terminology to explore, as one would expect from such a turbulent era. It is the decade of Charlie Chaplin, World War I, the Titanic, and the beginning of radio and film production. Granted all those dramatic world affairs, it is utterly natural that the English language mold itself new slang words and colloquialisms. World War itself spawned … [Read more...] about New Slang: A Fresh Batch of 1910s Jargon
New Slang: An Assortment of 1910s Terminology
If ever the case should be when you are in possession of a time machine or happen to blink in front of a Weeping Angel and are transported back into the 1910s, keep this post in mind because it will help you understand a hodgepodge of popular slang terminology of that decade. No doubt everyone already knows the meaning of the word “jazz,” even though its history is less … [Read more...] about New Slang: An Assortment of 1910s Terminology
New Slang: A Continuation of 1900s Colloquialisms
The first decade of the 20th century introduced a very rich variation of language into society while at the same time reshuffling old words and phrases to suit the new variation of people. Like any era, the transformative 1900s are just an exciting bricolage of past utterings and superstitions, smartened up to catchy openings such as “how’s tricks.” Though the phrase might put … [Read more...] about New Slang: A Continuation of 1900s Colloquialisms