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.

Not sure Dumbledore has to remind Snape, of all people, of the Malfoy family’s use of the dark arts.

But Harry Potter is just one of many, many examples.

And Jane Eyre marrying a man who had his wife locked up an attic. Bunting of red flags. No idea how people think it’s romantic.

Yes! Just tell the story.

A bit like "the winslow boy"

I disagree with the cardinal directions one - especially in cities that are laid out in a grid like Barcelona or New York.

I have mental maps and I find it really helpful when directions are described this way.

Seriously, aren’t we just having a fun conversation about literary peeves? Why the nastiness? I’m perfectly capable of reading, as I’m sure you are. I’m choosing to respond to parts of the conversation that are interesting to me, not providing detailed citations 🙂

It’s incredibly frustrating and difficult to have a conversation when people don’t read the posts and come on to repeatedly say the same thing.

Facets of bad writing. Generally not in books I very much choose to read but come across sometimes reading books written by friends (sorry!) or ones I get free for some reason

Characters who abruptly drop in and out of the story or appear than vanish for no apparent reason

Totally normal hero/es get into villain's lair without detection and overhear plans by hiding behind something.

Also I don't like the style of writing you sometimes get in humourous fantasy fiction that's trying to do Terry Pratchett but ends up being way too twee. American authors have a tendency to do this sort of thing. 'Hieronymous Buttercup worked as lowly clerk in the Magical Ministry - one day Miss Hiccup didn't bring his customary thimble of dandelion tea at 11.24am "My Goodness!" said Hieronymous...' etc

Yes, I love Richard Osman’s books but find that they do become far too twee and saccharine in parts.

Apologies for coming onto the thread, engaging with your topic in good faith and causing you such frustration and difficulty.

If you come from a small village or community where people go back generations, it is very common!

I thought it was because my family is shit with recalling names - but we were in villages or towns with stable populations and many generations and branches of the same families - so maybe it's both.

It's supposed to be a traditional school, with houses like Blyton's books, so the head would know all the children. I didn't go to one, but I've met people who went to private/grammar schools which had a head who knew everyone by name.
There used to be state schools like this, and the teachers even knew the parents' names, as it was uncommon for a teacher to have taught many members of the same family.

When the protagonist looks in the mirror and describes their appearance to the reader. It breaks the spell, a bit. No one thinks like that. Especially when it’s a male writer/female character and they describe themselves in a really sexy/objectifying way.

Could not agree more.

I dislike the misunderstanding ones too where if they just communicated properly it would all be resolved in minutes.

Yes, you're right it's in far genre too. I xmt think 'cosy mystery' is for me.

I've bored on about these at length on similar threads.

Where the author has someone drinking "scalding" coffee. Really?

Those who run their fingers through their hair - usually in frustration. Nearly always men. Who does that?

A version of something mentioned upthread - when text is written in the first person and yet still they say "my face paled" - how would the protagonist see this?

The large man who moves with "surprising lightness/agility". Cyril Bonfiglioli makes fun of this in one of his Mortdecai novels.

Those who run their fingers through their hair - usually in frustration. Nearly always men. Who does that?

I think those are the same men who have a vein that pulses in their forehead.

See also the furrowed brow

"the Malfoy boy" etc seems pretty normal to me. It perhaps depends on social circles

I want to enjoy "beach read " type novels when I am ill but always end up wanting to bin them because the main love interest 's only real personality trait is always just that he is really rich.