Elena Ferrante: ‘I make an effort never to exaggerate with an exclamation mark’

Of all the punctuation marks, it’s the one I like the least. It suggests a commander’s staff, a pretentious obelisk, a phallic display

I try never to raise my voice. Enthusiasm, anger, even pain I try to express with restraint, tending towards self-mockery. And I admire those who maintain a calm demeanour during an argument, who try to give cautious hints that we should lower our voices, who reply to frantic questions – “Is it true it really happened like that? Is it true?” – simply with a yes or no, without exclamation marks.

Mainly, this is because I’m afraid of excesses – mine and others’. Sometimes people make fun of me. They say: “You want a world without outbursts of joy, suffering, anger, hatred?” Yes, I want precisely that, I answer. I would like it if, on the entire planet, there were no longer any reason to shout, especially with pain. I like low tones, polite enthusiasm, courteous complaints.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2pUFULe