Writing dialogue in dialects or accents

[mollymoe]

One thing I don't like about WH is how Joseph's dialogue is written in his accent. I find it so hard to read. Thank god he isn't a major character. Does this style of writting annoy anyone else?

I don't mind a little bit of writting in dialect or accent but I really have to slow down to understand Joseph. It also puts me off reading people like Mark Twain.

[mery]

I completely agree. Though I think when Bronte and Twain were writing, dialects were popular for authors. It seems like a really dated trope to me now as s modern reader. To be honest that was a problem I had with the Help. Depending on the dialect, also, it can be at best paternalistic IMO.

[writingwithheld]

Yes, I'm really glad the main characters "talk" with more standard writing. I think it has a lot to do with changes in relations between the classes and political correctness. Back then it was probably really entertaining to read for rich folks to read dialects. Now people get uptight when an author writes this way, especially when the author isn't part of that social group because of the PC aspect.

[Dusky]

It doesn't bother me if the character's dialogues are written out with their accent, but it does bother me when the entire book is written that way.

[boston340]

I had a tough time reading "The Help" at first because of this but eventually settled into the pattern of the dialect and enjoyed it. Reading books that have the dialect (like Mark Twain as noted in a previous reply) can be a challenge for sure.