Featherdust (was Re: Doctrinaire)

[Mark A Mandel]

On Fri, 11 Oct 2002, Mike Salovesh wrote:

#Mark A Mandel wrote:
#> On Thu, 10 Oct 2002, Mike Salovesh wrote:
#>
#> #Here Francis featherdusts the word, and a couple of others.
#>
#> "Featherdusts"?

#Oops. Sorry: it's an old theater (no, theatre) critic's word. Reference
#is to mythical monologue that opens Act 1 Scene 1. Woman in maid's
#uniform enters, carrying featherduster. Proceeds to dust furniture.
#
#MAID: I wonder whether the Missus will get back in time to see Mr.
#Junior before he leaves. I know she must be with that sneaky Horace
#Smith, even though she said she was going to the Garden Club. I think
#the Mister must be getting suspicious, because he's starting to bite his
#mustache . . .
#
#In other words, a scene setting monologue or dialogue that introduces
#"facts not (yet) in evidence" so the audience knows what they have to
#in order to understand the action. Featherdusting in this sense is
#also vital in establishing the scene in science fiction; IIRC, the
#term was current among fen and in fanzines way back when.

Thanks. I inferred something of the kind. A useful and colorful term,
albeit opaque.

#I hardly expect you, of all people, to ask "what's a -- better, what are
#-- fen?"

And I won't, for I needn't.

-- Mark M.
            http://world.std.com/~mam/