Friday, November 18, 2005

Literary classics become txt msgs

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | Literary classics become txt msgs: "Some of English literature's greatest masterpieces have been condensed into a few lines of text message to help students revise for exams.

The service condenses classic works such as Bleak House and Pride and Prejudice into a handy aide-memoire.

For example, Hamlet's famous line: 'To be or not to be, that is the question' becomes '2b? Nt2b? ???'.

A university professor claims it 'amply demonstrates text's ability to fillet out the important elements in a plot'."

Here's an example of an entire plot, taken from the article's sidebar. Now you won't have to waste your time seeing the new movie version of Pride and Prejudice:


5Sistrs WntngHsbnds. NwMeninTwn-Bingly&Darcy. Fit&Loadd.BigSis Jane Fals 4B,2ndSisLiz H8s D Coz Hes Proud. Slimy Soljr Wikam Sys DHs Shady Past.Trns Out Hes Actuly ARlyNysGuy &RlyFancysLiz. She Decyds She Lyks Him.Evry1 Gts Maryd.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm actually three quarters of the way through P&P right now. The txtmsg sums up the plot amazingly well, but loses something of the flavour of the language. It's not a total waste of time reading the whole thing. :) -- Karin

Cap'n Bob said...

I can answer this twit in his own language: bs.