One of the disadvantages of having taught, edited and proofread
English for years is I no longer notice errors by choice. People do not find it
pleasant to go to the movies or watch TV with someone who involuntarily erupts
in scorn when a plot anomaly or gross (or minor) discrepancy occurs. I heard
rave reviews of The Girl with
the Dragon Tattoo, only to discover that the final chapters jumped the
shark completely, like the last season of a once-good TV series. The main
characters' actions made no sense and were impossible for those characters. The
patriarch died and in a later chapter called a final meeting, whereupon he died
a second time. Then I tried to determine why the book was so popular, and
concluded that, given its daunting length, only ten people actually read it.
The others just bought it, or only started it, or read it until the bad guy was
captured and then quit. I decided copy editors--too many--tried to clean the
draft, which the original author was unable to revise due to his unfortunate
death days after dropping off the first draft. He needed to come back to fix
his book and then die a second time.
Sadly,
that is just one example. One evening of television is usually enough to find a
quiverfull of plot anomalies, especially on those crime thrillers that seem to
believe the audience is more interested in which cop is dating another (or
wants to), and whose heroin addiction is about to be exposed to the police
force. With all the soapsuds, the writers forget which criminal has an ironclad
alibi, or lacks any motive or means whatsoever.
What's
upsetting to a word person who can't help being attentive to detail is the lack
of care and effort taken. Whether in a book or a TV show (or
anywhere--including newspapers), it's insulting to those who take the time to
buy, read or watch. When it's performance, it's insulting to the actors,
actresses, director, cameramen, boom person, and everyone involved. Ultimately,
shoddy craft demeans media and literature.
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