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Thoughts on writing and publishing, and the various sources of entertainment...
A weekly column by Abel G. Peña, best known for his Star Wars work.
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THE PHILODOXER for 03/11/2007
Of Vulgar Eloquence
"As for the point that superior material mixed with inferior enhances the inferior, I say that this is true when the distinction between the two is lost, as when gold is blended with silver; but if the distinction survives, then the inferior material actually loses value, as when beautiful women are seen in the company of ugly ones."- Dante Alighieri, Of Literature in the Vernacular
No, yeah. Look, I'm sane, right.... Thus goes the opening line to my short story "Eloquence," published this week on Amazon.com. As part of Amazon's Shorts program, you can get the story for less than 50¢, meaning a whole lotta bang for your half-a-buck. Do us both a favor and check it out, thank you.
"I dunno," you say. "Two whole quarters seems pretty gosh darn steep, Abe. What kind of return can I expect this here so-called 'Eloquence' to provide on my investment?"
Look, if you're reading this, it's worth it.
Jeez, not convinced? Sure, I'll tell you what it's about. "Eloquence" is a story of triumph and tragedy, vengeance and pride, played out against the battlefield of the asphalt city streets. Yeah, that's it.... It's about driving that good ol' fashion American muscle, a sexy fire-engine red classic. That sweet, 70s honey-drop the Chevrolet Corvette C3 L-82. It's about modern heroism and cussing out a few retarded automobilists that get in the way. It's about, quite frankly, the American Dream. Yeah...
And speed.
Lots and lots of fucking speed.
The premise is simple: surrounded on all sides and with only a few hundred feet of road, how fast can you get a 'Vet to go?
You might call "Eloquence" a response to Dante's De Vulgari Eloquentia (often translated from Latin as Of Literature in the Vernacular, or literally "Of Vernacular Eloquence"). It doesn't take a genius to see how the Latin word for "vernacular"--or "everyday language"--vulgari led to the English word vulgar (the same way "retardation" unsurprisingly became an insult). So my short story "Eloquence" takes Dante's old maxim about mixing "superior" and "inferior" language to the extreme, creating a truly vulgar eloquence that proves, verily, even shit can come out smelling like roses.
Only a pair o' quarters, friends. Buy the story and enjoy it over coffee or a cigarette. You won't be disappointed.
Cheers folks!
-- Abel G. Peña
<< 02/25/2007 | 03/11/2007 | 03/25/2007 >>
Discuss this column with me in World Famous Comics' General Forum and at Pop Culture Bored.
Also, visit my website at www.abelgpena.com.
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