Yesterday’s Dystopia: Tomorrow’s News

Today it’s Belle Rêve but tomorrow it’ll be Belly Rave

This never bothered me before, but it seems like Belle Rêve is a solecism; it should be Beau Rêve, according to the infallible penguin who wrote my French dictionary. Oh well: Pohl & Kornbluth probably liked the sound-devolution of belle into belly. Or maybe they’re making a point: bad linguistics leads to bad city planning. (Or maybe they talked to a different penguin, the same one Tennessee Williams used to hang out with.)

About JE

James Enge is the author of the World-Fantasy-Award-nominated novel Blood of Ambrose (Pyr, April 2009). His latest book is The Wide World's End. His short fiction has appeared in Black Gate, Tales from the Magician's Skull, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and elsewhere.
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3 Responses to Yesterday’s Dystopia: Tomorrow’s News

  1. peadarog says:

    Interesting article and maybe some early indications that Kunstler was right. Ho hum, pig’s bum.

    • JE says:

      If it’s the end of towns-without-sidewalks-or-downtowns, I think I’m for it. But then, I’m not stuck with a McMansion that has a metastasizing mortgage (a vice out of my income bracket).

      • peadarog says:

        Oh, I’m all for it too. Except that there are a lot of poor sods — not just McMansion owners — living in “modern” towns with no way out now.

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