Things in literature they really annoy you?

[changing47]

For me, it’s when characters are referred to as the X girl or the Y boy by characters who are perfectly aware of their names.

Dumbledore in Harry Potter referring to the ‘Malloy boy’. He knows his name is Draco. Just say it. In Game of Thrones Lyanna is referred to as the Stark girl by people who know her name is Lyanna Stark. It drives me mad.

It isn’t a literary trope. It’s real life. In schools/institutions with generations of patronage by the same family, where (for example) a head and deputy head have taught the dad and the older son and the youngest son (happened in my family), that’s how they are sometimes identified. It’s shorthand for (say) “the family that raises sensible but not very clever kids, who donated to the Asia library, who have history here - doesn’t matter which individual child it is because this wider context matters”. I’ve come across it in school, a law firm, a hospital/medical setting, an alumnae club.

I've heard teacher do it. "The older Smith boy is causing problems in Y6 since he was left off the football team".

I've heard it about my youngest - "Isn't that the BeaAndBen baby? Is her mother nearby?" (No, because she'd climbed out of the pushchair while I was talking to her older brother. )

What about in all the numerous examples when the setting is not a school?

If they know the name of the year six child why not just say ‘Johnny Smith is causing problems?’

If they know the name of the baby why don’t they say ‘is that Maisie BeaAndBen’?

I’m pleased I don’t know anyone who does this in real life because it would drive me crackers. You know their name. Use it.

Yes they do. As people keep telling you.

I simply don’t believe it but it’s not what this thread is about.

School

hospital that sees repeat customers

social workers that see the same family

lawyers dealing with problem s through generations

Police officers

the lady down the street who has watched a generation of kids from the same household grow up

it can still irk you but it does have a literary purpose and is natural for many people

I simply don’t believe it

now that would annoy me - use of cliches

It is a speech pattern indicative of a sub-set of society where lineage is deemed to be of importance. It is of more value in this context than simply using a person’s name. It also adds context to their background and/or position in the hierarchy.

Typos. Like they instead of that. Little errors spoil many good stories.

What about it? It’s the same thing. It’s a reference to the “stock” you come from, I suppose. It’s shorthand for a clan and a long history where the specific individual comes with a backstory.

I could understand if you object to the notion of a person not being known for who they are rather than who they’re descended from. But you seem to be bothered by the naming convention only. Which is a weird thing to get hung up on, especially on the basis of a lack of knowledge. Bottom line, this isn’t a literary trope and it might irritate you less if you understood what it actually is.

All of those things are literary tropes that annoy you?

The x boy doesn’t bother me but this really does - so clumsy. And I hate it when characters look at themselves in the mirror and describe all their features

This makes no sense whatsoever.

I have just used it with my dh. Can you pick you the youngest jones boy on the way to karate. Didn’t seem a weird thing to say at all

Yes and when they meet another character and they think how their shirt stretched slightly over their muscles and their blue jeans looked expensive and well cut. No one thinks that much about someone else’s outfit.

Not at our local schools! Wouldn’t something along those lines be the preserve of a public school?

Why didn’t you just say ‘can you pick up Daniel Jones’? I honestly don’t understand it.

Ooo that’s me told 😂😂

Horses.so much. Incorrect descriptions, incorrect behaviours, acting as fast magic taxis over long distances.

And every peasant type in a historic/fantasy world knowing how to ride. Just like that. Galloping off into the sunset when in reality the vast majority would fall off in 30 seconds flat. Horses were fucking expensive (proportionately even more so than today) and most peasants would never have touched one, let alone ridden one. And I'd extrapolate that to fantasy worlds too.

I think is a very common way of speaking about someone with disdain.

The detective “wrinkled his nose” then he does it in every chapter. You’re ready for it and it’s such lazy writing.

Maybe it regional but it’s a perfectly normal speech pattern.

lots of things annoy me in books, ages being wrong or odd words used, but this is just a way I have heard many people speak