The Spell at the Oak

[milo]

Ok thanks for the feedback folks. Interesting to hear some of our language's history. I had just been thinking before you replied that I should edit my preface because 'fantasy epic'doesn't really fit. I'll do that now.

Out of interest, I know it's also mentioned as a rookie error in this forum, why are poets taught not to write in the old style?

For a number of reasons:

1. You are writing it wrong. It is no longer the way you read and write so you are inconsistently applying it, much like writing in Spanglish or broken English.

2. Because it is not the language we speak or use today it reads contrived, artificial or faux-poetic.

Okay your first point I will take. As for the second - what if the aim is to encapsulate that ye olde poetry feel? ie. For an illustrated book with a traditional fantasy setting?

That is why usually the advice is to avoid it unless using to good effect (satire, parody, etc.). Chances are, if readers are pointing it out then it is not working. The reason it is offered as blanket advice is because it works so rarely.