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I've been reading Hobbit fanfic lately, sort of on and off (I've grown oddly attached to Bilbo/Bifur, for example). But I've been reading a few Dwalin/Nori the past couple of days. I ... hadn't realised Nori was a thief in the movieverse? I'm not sure where that came from, but okay. It's just that Nori/Dwalin fanfic therefore has a strong thief/lawman vibe, and the thing is I've also been reading Javert/Valjean fanfic that's come out of the resurgence of Les Mis fanfic following the new movie. This, combined with the fact that people stealing Bilbo's silver is a running joke in Middle Earth, has given me the bizarre image of Bilbo as a grumpier Bishop of Digne, and I'm not really sure what to do with that. *grins sheepishly*
And yes, that was random, and while we're rambling about random things, a small question?
And yes, that was random, and while we're rambling about random things, a small question?
Sappho of Lesbos is a known thing, right? I mean, her connection to the origins of the word 'lesbian' as refering to female homosexuality? That's not that obscure, right?
Because my dad/sister were telling a bad joke about an Irishman walking into a bar and hitting on two women because he thought 'lesbian' meant 'person from Lesbania' (which, yes, is a horrible joke, they do know that). And, well:
Me: I would have gone with "So, what part of Lesbos are you ladies from?"
*blank stares*
Me: As in, the Island of Lesbos? Where the Greek poet Sappho was from, and the origin of the word 'lesbian'?
*long pause*
My sister: Why do you know that?
Um. I hadn't realised it was obscure? I mean, it's not like I've actually read Sappho, or know her history, or in fact know anything about her other than that her homeland and her poetry are the origins of the association between 'lesbian' and female homosexuality. Um. Is that not common knowledge?
This is a genuine question, by the way. I mean, I have been told I'm a pedant (and yes, I realise historical and/or geographical accuracy is in fact the opposite to the point of the joke), and I have this tendency to acquire really random nuggets of information without remembering precisely where I picked them up and then presume everyone knows them, because I assume that this is a Thing People Know. (This is also the reason for the multitudes of allusions and references in my stories, because things just pop up from the back of my brain as 'relevant concept/factoid' and I go 'sure, why not').
I ... am just really really bad at knowing which bits of information are appropriate when, and also at judging who might reasonably know what the hell I'm talking about at any given time. Um. How do people do that thing where they know, or at least have a vague idea, of the areas of knowledge their audience is likely to have?
And, uh. How obscure actually is Sappho of Lesbos? *rubs neck sheepishly*
Because my dad/sister were telling a bad joke about an Irishman walking into a bar and hitting on two women because he thought 'lesbian' meant 'person from Lesbania' (which, yes, is a horrible joke, they do know that). And, well:
Me: I would have gone with "So, what part of Lesbos are you ladies from?"
*blank stares*
Me: As in, the Island of Lesbos? Where the Greek poet Sappho was from, and the origin of the word 'lesbian'?
*long pause*
My sister: Why do you know that?
Um. I hadn't realised it was obscure? I mean, it's not like I've actually read Sappho, or know her history, or in fact know anything about her other than that her homeland and her poetry are the origins of the association between 'lesbian' and female homosexuality. Um. Is that not common knowledge?
This is a genuine question, by the way. I mean, I have been told I'm a pedant (and yes, I realise historical and/or geographical accuracy is in fact the opposite to the point of the joke), and I have this tendency to acquire really random nuggets of information without remembering precisely where I picked them up and then presume everyone knows them, because I assume that this is a Thing People Know. (This is also the reason for the multitudes of allusions and references in my stories, because things just pop up from the back of my brain as 'relevant concept/factoid' and I go 'sure, why not').
I ... am just really really bad at knowing which bits of information are appropriate when, and also at judging who might reasonably know what the hell I'm talking about at any given time. Um. How do people do that thing where they know, or at least have a vague idea, of the areas of knowledge their audience is likely to have?
And, uh. How obscure actually is Sappho of Lesbos? *rubs neck sheepishly*
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