[General] Is there any difference?

[Badol]

Are the two sentences are same in meaning?
1. His first collection of short stories presented a motley hodgepodge of voices.
2. His first collection of short stories presented a variegated hodgepodge of voices.

 

[Tarheel]

I am not sure what you mean by either sentence. (If you mean to say the short stories were not alike, I wouldn't expect them to be.)

 

[Badol]

I think the short stories are not alike. They are somehow different to each other. I just wanted to know the difference of using "motley" and variegated".

 

[Tarheel]

Neither of them are words I use every day, and I would not attempt to tell you the difference without help (from a dictionary, for example).

http://dictionary.reference.com

 

[riquecohen]

IMO, both adjectives are similar, but neither one collocates well with 'hodgepodge.' It seems to be akin to referring to something as a 'dangerous peril.'

 

[Raymott]

'Variegated' is used for plants, and it's used literally. It can be used metaphorically, but "variegated hodgepodge" is too much.
"Motley hodgepodge" is acceptable to me.

 

[SoothingDave]

There is no such thing as a uniform hodgepodge, so no other adjective is needed. A hodgepodge is motley, by definition.

 

[Tarheel]

Perhaps:

His first collection of short stories presented a variety of voices.

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[emsr2d2]

A hodgepodge is motley, by definition.

I am just a little in love with this sentence. I might have it put on my gravestone (I would cite my source, of course!)