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Glossary entry

Spanish term or phrase:

de una pieza

English translation:

one-dimensional

    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2018-07-25 08:54:08 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
Jul 21, 2018 09:46
5 yrs ago
4 viewers *
Spanish term

de una pieza

Spanish to English Art/Literary Idioms / Maxims / Sayings Opera
Hi,

I'm having trouble with the expression "de una pieza" en the passage below. The text is talking about the opera Katya Kabanova. The meanings I've found don't seem to fit in with the context of the opera or the sentences below. From the context, I want to say it means something like clichéd, but I haven't found any evidence to back that up...

Menos Katia, todos los personajes son de una pieza, no poseen grandes matices. Y no estamos ante la ópera de mayor dureza en Janáček, sino ante la que presenta las situaciones y los personajes más claros, evidentes, rígidos, esquemáticos, como es el caso de Kabanija, tipo de una pieza; en exceso.
Proposed translations (English)
3 +10 one-dimensional
4 +1 flat / static
3 +2 cut from the same cloth
4 anodyne
4 -1 one piece characters

Discussion

Domini Lucas Jul 25, 2018:
@asker Thanks so much Lisa. Hope the rest of your text proves less taxing. Rather over-awed by the number of agrees!
Charles Davis Jul 22, 2018:
@Lisa That figures. My comment was off-topic; I was just sounding off about the writer's opinion of Káťa Kabanová and the complete lack of appreciation of Janáček's musical characterisation. But I can well believe that someone with so little discernment would write badly.
Lisa Mann (asker) Jul 22, 2018:
Charles Davis, the text is HORRIBLE Yes, these 2000 words so poorly written I'm stuck using my whole weekend trying to pound them into something that makes some sense. The example above is just the tip of the iceberg. It's very bad.
Charles Davis Jul 21, 2018:
Regardless of the question... Whoever wrote this is an idiot.
Domini Lucas Jul 21, 2018:
@asker Just one more thought: your choice of 'flat' or 'one-dimensional' might depend on your reader? I suspect that 'flat' would be more known within literary circles; 'one-dimensional' to both literary and non-literary.
Domini Lucas Jul 21, 2018:
@asker Glad that's helpful (we overlapped again before my second set of links - sorry: pc glitz!). Hope rest proves less taxing to you! Take care. :-)
Domini Lucas Jul 21, 2018:
one-dimensional, flat etc (2) These may also be of some use to you:
https://academic.oup.com/oq/article-abstract/16/1/105/148942... (cf. top of 2nd page)

and redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mfBADgAAQBAJ&pg=PT107&lp...
Lisa Mann (asker) Jul 21, 2018:
This fits Thanks for the research Domini! Yes, the character Kabanicha mentioned in the passage is horrible from beginning to end, despite being in situations that would give rise to feelings of empathy or sympathy in most people (like her daughter-in-law committing suicide right in front of her). So it makes sense for him to say her character is flat/one-dimensional "en exceso".
Domini Lucas Jul 21, 2018:
one-dimensional, flat etc Here are a couple of links that I originally looked for based on my suggestion of one-dimensional, however in reading them they also overlap with @bcsantos' flat/static, giving greater info on both counts:

https://www.thoughtco.com/one-dimensional-character-1857649 (this includes reference to Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet and Gertrude in Hamlet as examples of one-dimensional characters. Here's a quote from this link (paragraph heading is "The Role of the Flat Character in the Story"):
"One-dimensional characters are also known as flat characters or characters in fictional stories that do not change much from the start of the story to the end. It is thought that these type of characters have little to no emotional depth. Their role is often to highlight the main character, and they typically hold a simple and small perspective about life or the situation in the story. Their character is often a stereotype and may simply be used as a literary device to keep the narrative moving."

Proposed translations

+10
1 hr
Selected

one-dimensional

juat an extra suggestion to throw into the mix, if, for example, you want to echo the ‘una’ of the original. It is used of characters and characterisation as googling Collins English Dictionary definition of one-dimensional will attest.

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Note added at 1 hr (2018-07-21 11:07:55 GMT)
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p.s. I hadn’t seen bcsantos’ answer when I posted this. Overlap re ‘dimensional’ was unintended!

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Note added at 2 hrs (2018-07-21 11:47:03 GMT)
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https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/one-dim...
Peer comment(s):
agree Ryan Kelly
1 hr
Thank you very much :-)
agree Robert Forstag : "Flat" would be my second choice here.
2 hrs
Thank you so much. Hope life is treating you knidly. :-)
agree Jennifer Levey
3 hrs
Thank you so very much :-)
agree Charles Davis : This is what it means. But it betrays a deplorably superficial response. Dikoj and Kabanicha are both simply horrible, but by operatic standards the characters are quite nuanced: even Boris, but especially Varvara and Kudrjaš. And indeed Tichon.
7 hrs
Hello Charles. Thank you so much for the 'agree'. Have to bow to your knowledge re the rest! :-)
agree Marcelo González
14 hrs
Many thanks to you. :-)
agree Muriel Vasconcellos
20 hrs
Thank you so much :-)
agree Yvonne Gallagher
22 hrs
very kind. Thank you.
agree Thomas Walker : I think that the next phrase in the text, "no poseen grandes matices", reinforces this interpretation.
1 day 9 hrs
Thank you very much. I agree with you.
agree James A. Walsh
2 days 3 hrs
Very many thanks. :-)
agree Susan Andrew
2 days 20 hrs
Huge thanks to you.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks a lot Domini! You hit the nail right on the head!"
50 mins

anodyne

As in unremarkable, run of the mill....I've seen this used a lot by critics... not as neat as Marie's suggestion perhaps, but might come in handy later...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 54 mins (2018-07-21 10:40:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I've also seen "cypher/cipher" used in the same way (albeit usually by smartass hacks)

Definition of cipher
1 a : zero 1a
b : one that has no weight, worth, or influence : nonentity She was nothing more than a cipher.
Reference:

http://https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/anodyne

Something went wrong...
+1
1 hr

flat / static

Round vs. flat[edit]
In his book Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster defined two basic types of characters, their qualities, functions, and importance for the development of the novel: flat characters and round characters.[14] Flat characters are two-dimensional, in that they are relatively uncomplicated. By contrast, round characters are complex figures with many different characteristics, that undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader.[15]
Mary Sues are characters mainly appearing in fan fiction. They are virtually devoid of flaws,[16] and are therefore considered flat characters.
Dynamic vs. static[edit]
Dynamic characters are the ones that change over the course of the story, while static characters remain the same throughout.
Peer comment(s):
agree Domini Lucas : I agree this is accurate as per my discussion entries, though I would have originally have opted for one-dimensional as below.
1 hr
Something went wrong...
+2
14 mins

cut from the same cloth

Maybe it means this, that all the characters, with the exception of Katia, are cut from the same cloth, with nothing that distinguishes them.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2018-07-21 11:06:13 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

It was the first thing that came into my head. In the first case, son de una pieza, no poseen grandes matices, it seems to mean that, whereas in the second case, I'm not so sure. The second example could also mean that the characters are solid. Let's see what others suggest.
Example sentence:

All these characters were cut from the same cloth

The musical language and orchestration were cut from the same cloth as the opera seria,

Note from asker:
Well... my husband suggested that, but then how does it fit in the second sentence there? And the characters are really all quite different, some are harsh and mean others are quite naive and submissive. I don't know...
Peer comment(s):
agree neilmac : Nice...
32 mins
Thanks, Neil!
agree Marcelo González : And for the second instance of 'de una pieza', your suggestion could be appropriately reduced to 'from the same cloth,' which would sound perfectly natural. IMO. Cheers, Marie
15 hrs
Thanks, Marcelo, saludos!
Something went wrong...
-1
8 hrs

one piece characters

Note from asker:
No! "One Piece" is a television program and all these hits are about the characters on "One Piece"! Absolutely nothing to do with theatre or opera or, more specifically, this Czech opera.
Peer comment(s):
disagree Yvonne Gallagher : nothing to do with context at all
15 hrs
Something went wrong...
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