There are many other little refinements too, Mr. Bohlen…
“There are many other little refinements too, Mr. Bohlen. You'll see them all when you study the plans carefully. For example, there's a trick that nearly every writer uses, of inserting at least one long, obscure word into each story. This makes the reader think that the man is very wise and clever. So I have the machine do the same thing. There'll be a whole stack of long words stored away just for this purpose." Where?" In the 'word-memory' section," he said, epexegetically.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The passage sat that using obscure, long words can make a character appear intelligent, and the speaker applies this technique to a machine.
In simple terms: Using big words can make a story seem smarter.
Key Takeaway
Add sophisticated language to impress readers.
Themes
writing
language
impression
technique
creativity
Mood
playful
ironic
analytical
Type
advice
observational
humorous
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- character development
- AI text generation
- editing
- literary analysis
Key Concepts
lexical choice
authorial voice
machine mimicry
Questions to Reflect On
- How does word choice affect credibility?
- When is complexity beneficial?
A Different Perspective
Overusing complex words may alienate readers.