All Things in Moderation

I noticed what I thought was too much of a good thing in Speaking in Tongues: figurative language, something meant to liven up writing by using words in descriptive ways to paint a picture for the reader. The sheer amount of this language in the story (especially in the beginning) seemed over-the-top to me. I appreciate ZZ Packer's attempt to create vivid images for the reader, but the extreme number of metaphors incorporated into the piece (they're in practically every paragraph) actually distracted me from the story, annoyingly calling attention to themselves.

I'll admit it wasn't all negative. How could I contest "but Marcelle had developed the contemptuous languor of a zoo animal whose cage had been banged by too many people" or "their eyes blinking the slow and steady concerned flashes of car hazard lights"? There were some cool bits of figurative language, but I thought they were overshadowed by the multitude of others such as "the teachers standing by their doorways like sunglassless Secret Service agents" and "a sky the color of suburban swimming pools," metaphors that left me wondering, Really, is that necessary? (Not to mention thinking that "sunglassless" is a very awkward word.)

A Sweet Word (Or Two, While I'm at It)

A couple of words jumped out at me when I was reading Slaughterhouse-Five, words that came up (purposefully I think) when Billy Pilgrim met Kilgore Trout. They seemed too funky to pass up, so I ran to the computer to look up definitions and then Google the words to see what kind of bizarre sentences would pop up first.

Harangued: lectured, or in more amusing language, delivered "a bombastic, ranting speech or verbal attack"
SH-V use: "The boys were harangued by a man in a full beard."
Random Google Find: "Nicole Kidman Harangued by Unruly Facebookers" (an article title)

Lugubriously: mournfully or dismally, especially in an exaggerated manner
SH-V use: "As Trout lugubriously slung the bag from his shoulder, Billy Pilgrim approached him."
Random Google Find: "Speaking lugubriously, he sounded like he should have been at a funeral rather than a wedding."
(I found this after I saw a link for the word on "a social network for people who love words." It's called Wordie, and it's "Like Flickr, but without the photos." So it says.)

And another note relating to Trout: he told Maggie White that he is afraid of Doberman pinschers. Dogs seem to be a motif in the book, and Princess was noticeably a German Shepherd. Wikipedia says the Doberman breed also originated in Germany. Whether Vonnegut was intending anything with this connection, I don't know.