There was another thread on the opening paragraph and language thread, but I wanted to do just a general thread to collect everyone's favorite instances of how DFW uses language. Or you can include ones that stood out... or even ones you find irritating. Anyway, I haven't been keeping close track of everything but here are some I've recorded:
PAGE 85 - Here, he seems to start a long sentence with something, and then end with the same thing. It gives the sentence a very satisfying feel:
Quote:
“He’d kept noticing mice scurrying around his room, mice as in rodents, vermin, and when he lodged a complaint and demanded the room be fumigated at once and then began running around hunched and pounding with the heal of a hand-held Florsheim at the mice as they continued to ooze through the room’s electrical outlets and scurry repulsively about, eventually a gentle-faced nurse flanked by large men in custodial whites negotiated a trade of shoes for Librium, predicting that the mild sedative would fumigate what really needed to be fumigated.”
It's not really just a word repeat, but also the repeat and re-animation of the meaning of 'fumigate,' but still the word really brings it back.
PAGE 86 - And here he just seems to be making hay of apostrophes, which made me chuckle a little (because sometimes I have apostrophe dilemmas myself when I write):
Quote:
“The man who for the last three days has been Tiny Ewell’s roommate at St. Mel’s Hospital’s detoxification unit sits in a blue plastic straight-back chair in front of his and Ewell’s room’s window’s air conditioner, watching it.”
Also I'm sure everyone's noticed his forward slash quirk... I did not jot down an actual instance, but it's the same use of the slash that's used in "either/or" I think.
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