Must "poles" refer to exactly two opposite points, even when used abstractly?

I wouldn't look twice, seems fine to me.

To me, as reader (and a scientist), I'd say No. "Polar opposites" is a common term, and implies exact opposition. I think you could find a clearer way of expressing your idea. Frankly, "three mismatched heroes" says enough, to me. The rest is needless fluff.

caw

I think of me and my two brothers as opposite each of us when it comes to politics, beliefs, lifestyles, occupations. My brothers are opposites and I'm an opposite of each of them as well.

Dictionary.com notes an idiom:

9. poles apart /asunder, having widely divergent or completely opposite attitudes, interests, etc.

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I would think you could say, 'poles apart'. There are, of course, many ways to express different.

I don't like it. You have three mismatched heroes, and planets have two poles. If you're metaphorically considering popular fiction to be like a planet, you can have two mismatched heroes coming from opposite poles, but not three, because if they come from the poles, then either two of them come from the same pole or the planet has more than two poles. So it doesn't make sense.

Reword it if it bothers you, but I'm in the "fine as it is" camp.

"drawn from the furthest poles of today’s popular fiction" simply suggests the entire spectrum to me, you could draw one, two, or many mismatched characters from it.


No-one balks at the four corners of the earth - the earth doesn't have four corners...

Bacchus said:

Reword it if it bothers you, but I'm in the "fine as it is" camp.

"drawn from the furthest poles of today’s popular fiction" simply suggests the entire spectrum to me, you could draw one, two, or many mismatched characters from it.
No-one balks at the four corners of the earth - the earth doesn't have four corners...

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It's not exactly the same to me.

Four corners - there are four compass points. There are only two poles.

I prefer your use of 'spectrum'.

'Drawn from along the spectrum of popular fiction' sounds closer to what you want. Having said that, I don't know that I'd think twice about

drawn from the furthest poles of today’s popular fiction

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, unless I was really bored with the story. What's it for, cover copy or query or something?

Or 'extremes'?

Jeff Bond said:

Can I use "poles" this way, referring to three items instead of two?

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It bugs me, but I get annoyed when people use "between" instead of "among", so take that for what it's worth.

Jeff Bond said:

Despite the wordy title, this seems a fairly straightforward question. Having no luck finding a definitive answer online, though.

Here's the phrase in question: "three mismatched heroes, drawn from the furthest poles of today’s popular fiction".

Can I use "poles" this way, referring to three items instead of two?

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I'd presume you meant there were only two poles and two were from one, one from the other, if you used it like that. The larger issue would be that I've no idea what that's meant to mean. Drawn from the furthest poles of today's popular fiction? I don't know how to parse that, like I'm lost as to what you're referring to, so I don't think it's conveying what you want it to, from my perspective anyway, regardless.

Yeah, I agree with Cornflake. I don't know what the poles are supposed to be. Good and Evil? Ridiculous and Serious? Comic and Tragic?

Using the word "poles" implies two to me, and there are many aspects of today's popular fiction.

Also, the word "mismatch" implies two to me as well, not three. (Unless all three were supposed to match.) Maybe that's just me.

The connotation to opposites is so strong that it's a problem, but the other problem is in the math. Poles always come is pairs, not triplets. I'd rework that sentence.

Bacchus said:

No-one balks at the four corners of the earth - the earth doesn't have four corners...

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That's an established expression and it's so commonly used it's more likely to come across as a cliche. It won't make the writer come across like they don't know what shape the planet is. Though cliches have their own issues.

Personally, I find it a bit archaic-sounding (because it reminds me of times before people knew Earth was spherical) so I'd be fine with it in historical fiction or where that sort of expression suits the character/narrative voice, but there are contexts where it won't sound quite right.

Like CF and a couple of others, I'm not sure what "three furthest poles of popular fiction" are supposed to be. Are there three distinct types of popular fiction with very different character types? If so, what are they? I don't know. Do you mean one hero feels like she would be at home in a women's fiction story, another in a high-tech spy thriller, and another in a fantasy and SF title, but somehow they're all together in one book? If so, how would this work in your world? Is the novel a satire?

Jeff Bond said:

Despite the wordy title, this seems a fairly straightforward question. Having no luck finding a definitive answer online, though.

Here's the phrase in question: "three mismatched heroes, drawn from the furthest poles of today’s popular fiction".

Can I use "poles" this way, referring to three items instead of two?

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Should be "farthest," I believe. "Corners" might work better. Or "reaches." "Poles" doesn't sound right to me.

cornflake said:

I'd presume you meant there were only two poles and two were from one, one from the other, if you used it like that. The larger issue would be that I've no idea what that's meant to mean. Drawn from the furthest poles of today's popular fiction? I don't know how to parse that, like I'm lost as to what you're referring to, so I don't think it's conveying what you want it to, from my perspective anyway, regardless.

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+1

+2 It feeds into our tendency to gravitate toward dichotomies. So, the mind is naturally looking for two of something, but there are already three there. I'm not sure this kind of cognitive dissonance is helpful; it's distracting. Since you have 3, I'd stay away from poles, dichotomies, continua, etc. Also, stay away from cliche, unless you can freshen it up. Maybe it's a trope. Can you freshen up a trope?

To me, poles implies opposite ends of a spectrum (ie two possible end locations). Maybe "drawn from the farthest reaches of today's popular fiction" would work, or just leave that part of the sentence out?