Eona Frae

zaf·tig

[zahf-tik]  (yes, the ‘g’ is usually pronounced as a ‘k’)

adjective

1. Having a full, shapely figure; pleasingly plump; voluptuous 
2. Full-bosomed

Examples:

“Lest you or I get too smug, thinking our own behavior beyond reproach, we might just want to keep one ear attuned for the melodic tones of a zaftig female in the distance.”  —The Huffington Post, “Tiger Woods And The Sandtrap Of Entitlement”

“One year the zaftig look was in among models, the next year the waif was all the rage.”  —Second Skin

Etymology:

From Yiddish zaftik, juicy; from Middle High German saftec, juicy; from Old High German saf, juice.

(Source: wordnik.com)

Recently I’ve been thinking about persons, real and fictional, dead and alive, that inspire me.  It seems important to articulate who I like and why I like them at this moment in time.  30 days.  30 people.  Bring on the inspo.

WHO:  J.K. Rowling 

STATUS: Real

PROFESSION: Author

Rowling felt like a good starting place since I literally just saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  So, why does she inspire me?  On the most basic level I am inspired by the seven books she wrote encompassing one entertaining story.  I mean, not only did she write one fantastic book, she wrote SEVEN.  I envy the skills and the mindset she possessed to give her millions of fans seven cohesive, engaging, intertwined, tension filled novels.  

I grew up with the series, so in the beginning it didn’t matter what literary devices she was using to make me care about her world, I just cared.  Though now, as someone who’s studied literature, my admiration for her still grows.  Yes, she might be an adverbaholic, but her pacing is just amazing.  The tension that she builds from book one all the way through book seven is…like…how’d she do that?  But it’s not just about the dramatic tension, there is a real depth to her characters.

Compare Harry Potter to Twilight.  The major theme in both series is death; how far are we willing to go to protect the fragile state of the human condition, what price will we pay?  While Twilight may be entertaining (sans Book 4), Rowlings execution is far superior.  Her exploration into the intricacies of human suffering, how the living cope with the dead, and what we’re willing to do when we feel wronged is complex and imperfect, just like the real world.  While Meyer’s teases the reader with loss, she only ventures to kill off characters that we feel deserve it (ie. James, Victoria and Riley).  Rowlings approach is far more devastating, she kills the people Harry (read: we) love the most.  (I was heartbroken when Sirius died.)  Book 7 was nerve wracking to read because there really was a sense that anyone was up for grabs.  I admire her willingness to kill off characters she created 15 years ago because the story required it.  I think there’s a type of courage in that.  

Also, I found it inspiring the way she gracefully endured the global pressure of the Harry Potter phenomenon.  I’d be horrified if suddenly millions of people had an opinion on what I should or shouldn’t write.  I imagine that is a difficult burden to bear.  Yet, she seems as normal as they come.  

Harry Potter still captures my imagination.  Even as an older, more learned individual, J.K. Rowling’s children’s books still set an example of what I’d like to achieve one day.  Not so much the part involving massive public scrutiny, but the ability to write a  rich, multi-layered story that holds new discoveries after every read.  You can say a lot with 900,000 words, but few could have made them mean so much.

a·vid·i·ty

[uh-vid-i-tee]

noun

1. Intense desire or craving; greediness; strong appetite (applied to the senses)
2. Eagerness; keen interest or enthusiasm
3. Chemistry: The strength of an acid or base in proportion to its degree of dissociation

Examples:

“Marty Peretz, the pro-Israel hawk who is The New Republic’s titular editor-in-chief, and Louis Farrakhan, the anti-Semitic head of the Nation of Islam, are as one in their avidity for Obama.”  —The Wall Street Journal, “The Peretz-Farrakhan Convergence”

“Before this time, at Wellwood House and here, when suffering from home-sick melancholy, I had sought relief twice or thrice at this secret source of consolation; and now I flew to it again, with greater avidity than ever, because I seemed to need it more.”  —Agnes Grey

Etymology:

From Old French avidite, greed; From Latin avidus, longing eagerly for; from avēre, to desire eagerly.

(Source: wordnik.com)

pav·id

[pav-id]

adjective

1. Timid; afraid; fearful; frightened

Examples:

“Like a pavid kid in the talons of an eagle, that young creature trembled in his huge Milesian grasp.”  —Mrs. Perkinss Ball

“Ah remember his filthy bearded face twisted with terror, his pavid hands trembling, his pathetic sobbing.”  —And the Ass Saw the Angel

Etymology:

From Latin pavidus, fearful; from pavēre, to tremble with fear.

(Source: wordnik.com)

no·et·ic

[noh-et-ik]

adjective

1. Relating to, performed by, or originating in the intellect; use of the mind

Examples:

“Among the events sponsored by the neighborhood bar were monthly quiz nights, which Jeanne enjoyed attending because they satisfied her thirst for noetic stimulation.”  —Merriam-Webster, WOTD

“He was giving to it a positive noetic value.”  —Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi

Etymology:

From Greek noētikos, intellectual; from noein, to think; from nous, mind.

(Source: wordnik.com)