language of dialogue in Casino Royale?
sito
Posts: 44MI6 Agent
Is language of dialogue in casino royale considered to be normal for british? Do educated British class speak in formally? I am curious. I watch the conversation between Vesper & Bond and it was quite formal.
Comments
Regarding the conversation between Bond and Vesper, you've got to remember that was the first time the two of them had met. Generally speaking, it is polite to use a more formal tone to somebody that you don't know, and that is precisely what Bond was doing. Besides, at the beginning, that was purely a professional relationship.
And a bit off-topic, but also about the language - I love the way Flemming avoids using a certain 4-letter word in his books...I've tried to count the ways - he has at least 10=)
Would that be Freddie Uncle Charlie Katie (my favourite euphemism ever)
@merseytart
No, actually. I don't think he's ever used that. I know a couple off the top of my head (these are NOT exact quotes):
Bond let out a harsh obscenity;
Bond cursed; and
----
Something like that, anyway. I'll get exact quotes later if I can be bothered going through all 14 books ...
'Fraid you're wrong on the first one, Defiant. Here's Bond in You Only Live Twice (chapter 9: "Instant Japan," p. 87 of the Penguin edition):
"But good heavens, Tiger! No self-respecting man could get through the day without his battery of four-letter words to cope with the roughage of life and let off steam. If you're late for a vital appointment with your superiors, and you find that you've left all your papers at home, surely you say, well, Freddie Uncle Charlie Katie, if I may put it so as not to offend."
As to the "______," I think it occurs a couple of times, but my favorite instance of it is in Goldfinger, as Bond is being tortured by Oddjob and tries to make a deal with Goldfinger. Bond, of course, is turned down, which leads to this exchange:
"Bond said politely, 'Then you can go and ____ yourself.' He expelled all the breath from his lungs and closed his eyes.
"'Even I am not capable of that, Mr Bond,' said Goldfinger with good humour." (chapter 15, p. 175 Penguin ed.)
I'd say it's a shame the filmmakers couldn't have used that exchange, but then we'd probably be denied "Do you expect me to talk?" followed by "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!"
Or, should I say, Shimata! I have made a mistake!
as for curses in fleming novels..I love that part of "shimata" in YOLT, and all the fun Bond has learning a bit of the japanese language...