dialect in novels

[Peter Richardson]

On Fri, 23 Feb 2001, Bob Haas wrote:

> Thanks, Dennis, et al, for the explanation.  Can you folks think of any
> instance in which such eye-dialect flavor is not denigrating?

This wouldn't be an example from a novel (the original topic, no?), but
Walt Kelly's use of eye-dialect to mark the speech of the Pogo characters
certainly helped to endear those animals to us 1950s readers with nary a
hint of denigration. In addition, his bear, P.T. Bridgeport, spoke in a
hodgepodge of carnival type faces (Thunderbird, etc.) that set his speech
apart visually from that of the others--a neat trick that helped to
establish the Barnum-esque persona he represented; and the lugubrious
Deacon Mushrat always had his speech drawn in an Old English face that
illustrated the mournful eccleciast. Not a whit of denigration, if you ask
me.

PR