In one his novels (don't remember which one), Faulkner uses the word
"belllike." That's a missing hypen that will stop you every time!
David
On Aug 29, 2009, at 9:16 AM, ejmd wrote:
> I'm not a great one for dictionary definitions; more specialist texts
> are better sources of information than the postage-stamp sized spaces
> typically available in a general compendium. That said, the closest
> dictionary to hand (Collins English Dictionary, updated third edition
> (1994)) offers "_adj_ (of a film) showing characteristics of film
> noir,
> in plot or style". The cross reference gives "_n_ a gangster thriller,
> made esp. in the 1940s in Hollywood characterised by contrasty
> lighting
> and often somewhat impenetrable plots [C20: French, literally: black
> film]". Meanwhile, Frank Krutnik's _In A Lonely Street: _Film Noir_,
> Genre, Maculinity_ (London: 1991) devotes chapter three to "hard
> boiled"
> crime fiction and _film noir_.
>
> While Krutnik italicises both "noir" and "film noir", I would suggest
> that they are in common usage to not need italicisation; house
> style may
> of course prevail. I'm not so sure about the plural though, as _films
> noirs_ does not appear to be so common (the incorrect "film noirs" is,
> however, another matter). Interestingly, Krutnik seems to avoid the
> plural, although the term _femmes fatales_ does make an appearance in
> his text
>
> As far as hypens go, I'm with the clarifiers: punctuation functions
> as a
> way of helping the reader; if it's faulty, the reader's experience is
> disrupted. Omitting hyphens for the sake of "cleanliness" is simply
> misguided: if in doubt, consider the three year old dogs.
>
> ED
>
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