The cover was mostly white. In one corner was drawn—barely drawn—a group of boys standing in a circle.

[Eve696]

Why does the author use this word order?

Stephen King:The cover was mostly white. In one corner was drawn—barely drawn—a group of boys standing in a circle. - why the parts of the second sentence are replaced?

 

[Tarheel]

Say: "Why were parts of the second sentence replaced?"

You seem to be commenting on the editing process, but how could you possibly know what the original sentence was?

 

[Eve696]

Say: "Why were parts of the second sentence replaced?"

You seem to be commenting on the editing process, but how could you possibly know what the original sentence was?

Here's the original sentence: "The cover was mostly white. In one corner was drawn—barely drawn—a group of boys standing in a circle."

 

[jutfrank]

Can you make your question clearer?

There's just one sentence here and nothing seems to be replaced. Are you asking something about the use of the dashes? Or are you asking why the place phrase in one corner is at the front of the sentence?

(This post is in the wrong forum.)

 

[Tarheel]

In one corner was drawn—barely drawn—a group of boys standing in a circle."

That's not the original sentence. The original sentence is whatever was there before it was revised. The reader only sees the final product. We don't know for sure what was there originally.

 

[Skrej]

It's not replacing anything. Setting 'barely drawn' off with dashes is simply a stylistic way of emphasizing that the drawing was faint and/or crudely done. It's like the narrator is correcting himself.

Saying there was a picture of boys drawn in the corner might lead the reader to think it was a very clear, detailed image. The narrator realizes this after making the statement and wishes to "correct" himself to clarify it's a faint or poor image.

It has nothing to do with the actual editing process. It's just a way for the narrator to clarify what the cover looked like as an afterthought.

 

[Tarheel]

Two things. One, I would say it was carefully written. Two, "barely drawn" indicates it was faint.

 

[Tdol]

It's a way of giving additional information.

 

[tedmc]

The description is a slow and deliberate way to draw your attention to the image of the boys.

 

[Piscean]

I think Eve is asking why the writer did not write In one corner a group of boys standing in a circle was drawn—barely drawn.