Archaicisms

[dukealien]

Hello, I have a question.  I’m not trying to start an argument, this is an honest question that I have always wanted to ask.  

What is so bad about sounding archaic, or using archaic words, etc?  Why is it considered to be a detriment to the writing?  More often than not, the thing being called archaic is a part of the writing that I found to be charming and delightful.  Is this not the case for other readers?  Is it truly ‘bad’ to be archaic, or is it only that there are those who enjoy it and those who don’t? 

 Sincerely,
Confused and curious

Speaking for myself, I have a sticky note in the notebook I  use to compose poetry (sometimes) which reads, "Eschew archaisms!"

To me, the problem with archaisms is that, whether or not they're comprehensible to modern readers, they tend to be formulaic - those that are not cliches have some attributes of a cliche.  They're lazy - they fit the meter (because they were either written in metric verse originally or evolved conversationally to become that way).  Inversion of normal word order is an archaism, dating from when the language was actually Yoda-form; it's tempting to use an inversion when you've written yourself into a corner and that's an easy way to evade your thoughts re-ordering so the sentence normally proceeds.