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Hergé: Use of exclamation and question marks?!

snafu
Member
#1 · Posted: 24 Mar 2005 14:31
Throughout the Tintin books, Hergé had scenes where characters said nothing but (!) and (?).
In redrawn versions, and in later stories Hergé would sometimes draw these arks with different colors.

Was there any pattern in the ways these things were chosen?
Richard
UK Correspondent
#2 · Posted: 24 Mar 2005 17:59
I don't think there was a pattern, as such, more an evolution of style.
The early ones were simply black bold "?" and "!" symbols, sometimes a jagged "!", and they later moved on to the coloured ones with black outlines.
In the final books, the shape of the "?" changed, becoming very angular.
snafu
Member
#3 · Posted: 24 Mar 2005 22:33
Coool...

But it's also interesting to note that in many cases the question marks and exclamation points could have been used interchangeably.
Was that also random?
tintinuk
Moderator Emeritus
#4 · Posted: 25 Mar 2005 09:44
I believe that question marks were used when a character expressed surprise (it would be like having them go, "Huh?"), whereas exclamation marks were used when a character was more startled (so more like, "Oh!").
Richard
UK Correspondent
#5 · Posted: 25 Mar 2005 10:46
And I suppose both were used together when someone was horrified, or very very shocked.

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