As a literary tool, alliteration is best used with restraint in copywriting.
Yet there’s something curiously satisying about its corniness when proliferated. My favourite example is an excerpt from the dystopian thriller “V for Vendetta”, cleverly scripted by Hilary Henkin:
Introductory monologue of the protagonist – upon meeting Evey – wishing no doubt to make a statement that resurrects its ostensible vapidity:
V: “Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. [He carves a “V” into a sign] The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. [chuckles] Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it is my very good honour to meet you and you may call me ‘V’.”
Evey: “Are you like a crazy person?”
V: “I’m quite sure they will say so.”
Apropos the incisive and insinuating sound of the letter “V”, I will introduce the concept of sound symbolism in my next blog…
Alliteration? An author afflication and awful addiction avoiding any artistic achievement!
Oh well, if someone with a name like Hubert Horatio Humphrey could become US Vice President, then maybe it has some merits after all!
Just read a subscript on Sky News i.c.w. the phone hacking uproar which reads: Toxic Tabloid Tactics!
On the first sentence it seems to look like it was correct but if you compare it there is no sense in this.
Hi Libby – Agreed. I shared that quote for its perversity. Even though it does fly in the face of the header’s recommendation, it still has a hint of fun about it. The point regarding alliteration, though, is never to overdo it, nor be clever for the sake of cleverness. Only a movie scriptwriter spicing up a bizarre genre can get away with it!