Lively Locations
in the style of Francis Parkman
‘So, Sisters … who can tell me why we are here.’
‘We need an excuse to wear gorgeous dresses in a gorgeous place?’
‘Well, that’s part of it. Daisy, can you provide a more practical reason?’
‘Let’s see, we’re not in a salon d’armes in Paris during the Belle Époque. So, we can’t be here to promote active verbs.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Well, it’s the seventeenth century, so a lot of folk are fencing.’
‘In earnest.’
‘Indeed.’
‘I’ll give you another hint. Who’s my favorite historian?’
‘Francis Parkman, of course.’
‘And why do you I him so much?’
‘Because he uses active verbs and goes easy on copular constructions?’
‘Terp! This is family blog!’
‘No, Silly, “copular constructions” doesn’t mean … that. The expression refers to the use of “to be” to link two words together, and, in particular, to make an equation of some sort.’
‘Mortals have been doing that more often. I blame Pasithea, Patroness of Pedantic Prose.’
‘I blame modernity. Machine-age humans find it easier to coin new nouns than forge fresh verbs.’
‘Don’t forget the adjectives, which, of late, have been keeping pace with the nouns.’
‘So, what’s a mere mortal to do?’
‘My advice - and that is why we are here - calls for writers to sheep dip themselves in the work of writers from days gone by.’
‘What a colorful image!’
‘Thank you. I try.’
‘Consider, if you will, the work of …’
‘Francis Parkman?’
‘Bull’s eye, Terp. Consider what he wrote about the time and place of our present rendez-vous.’
