Word: flaccid
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...self-consciousness they enforce and the sniggering communal sensibility they impose lay heavily on the play. The emotional changes which should animate the third act are lost; the tension which should carry us over the hump of the comedy-only tautness can stave off boredom in humor-is flaccid...
Boyle's book is most effective polemically when simply relating the flaccid reactions of various law-enforcement agencies to inquiries on what is officially being done about known polluters. It is probably most instructive in showing how Boyle and like-minded Hudson Valley neighbors have brought private action against companies who break the law by polluting the river. Customarily the going is slow. But any private group that can hold on long enough to win gets a share of the fine the company must forfeit, and can use it to help pay for playing David to further industrial Goliaths...