Technical remark

[Jan Timmich]

Hi all,

I'm just reading the Spanish translation of Mr. Mercedes and signed up to comment a technical detail.

It alays says the murder car is a Mercedes SL 500, "a sedan which is like a tank". I'm surprised to read that as the SL 500 is a sports car or roadster with only 2 seats. I guess SK refers to the S 500 which is a tank or a massive sedan.

As I can't imagine such an error by a writer like SK my question is: What is wrong, the description of the car or the model name?

Thanks,

Jan

 

[FlakeNoir]

Hi Jan, welcome to the site.

Your question/comment has come up in previous conversation and it has been pointed out that:

Interestingly enough, the only place the car is referred to by model in the book reads, "Great gray sedan, maybe SL 500 with twelve cylinders, and
all twelve now lined."

(emphasis added)

Also, this was in the mind of a character with no necessary knowledge of cars, let alone Mercedes (broke guy with no job).

Also:

Sometimes it is done intentionally--artistic license, etc.--even when the writer knows that he'll be called out on it, so for reasons other than having made a mistake or not knowing it's wrong. The Kings have owned a number of Mercedes over the years and I have no doubt that he knows what the real model is.

 

[GNTLGNT]

Hi Jan, welcome to the site.

Your question/comment has come up in previous conversation and it has been pointed out that:



Also:

 

[king family fan]

Welcome Jan!

 

[Spideyman]

Hi and welcome

 

[champ1966]

That's not a Mercedes SL500, it's a Mercedes Sl0W.

 

[GNTLGNT]

That's not a Mercedes SL500, it's a Mercedes Sl0W.

...no you're mistaken my friend....that's from the Mercedes Ass Class.....

 

[Lyko]

Hi Jan, welcome to the site.

Your question/comment has come up in previous conversation and it has been pointed out that:



Also:

That explains the 12 cylinders. However, I could find three more places referring to the SL 500 (p. 40, 60, 63). All of them in scenes where the cops are investigating, therefore, it's not the point of view of a broke guy with no job. So there is still the question of Bill Hodges sitting in the back seat. I haven’t read the German translation yet but I found the information that the German publisher changed the model into S 600 which fits better.

 

[champ1966]

...no you're mistaken my friend....that's from the Mercedes Ass Class.....

My bad (ass)

 

[champ1966]

I once read a book called IT

Spoiler

actually I've read IT 3 times, the only book I've read that many times. So many books (SK and otherwise),so little time

, and the story was set in a town/city called Derry/ Maine. Now I'm not from the USA so I had to look it up. And could I hell as like find it (Derry) on any map. Has the author ( I think his name was Stephen King) made a gross mistake here,or does Derry actually exist? Maybe because it was a work of fiction (as it was pointed out on the first page) he was using poetic license.As @Flake Noir pointed out quoting @Moderator,Marsha.

#gottolovemistakejunkies

#it'sjustlike11/22/63moansagain

 

[champ1966]

Sorry for the rant. But the "mistake" junkies really came out of the closet when 11/22/63 came out. Stephen King writes FICTION (he's not a horror hack) I've read pretty much every book he's wrote. Any "constant reader" (his affectionate term for his thousands,if not millions,of long term fans) could tell you that most places in his books don't exist in our "keystone" world.So as in that case, whether it's a Mercedes model or a Takuro Spirit model (yeah exactly) ,who gives a sh1t?.So let's crack open a Nozz a la (copyright SK) and let these not existent 'mistakes' disappear into the ether.

 

[Neesy]

Sorry for the rant. But the "mistake" junkies really came out of the closet when 11/22/63 came out. Stephen King writes FICTION (he's not a horror hack) I've read pretty much every book he's wrote. Any "constant reader" (his affectionate term for his thousands,if not millions,of long term fans) could tell you that most places in his books don't exist in our "keystone" world.So as in that case, whether it's a Mercedes model or a Takuro Spirit model (yeah exactly) ,who gives a sh1t?.So let's crack open a Nozz a la (copyright SK) and let these not existent 'mistakes' disappear into the ether.

Thank you - that about sums it up!

 

[blunthead]

I think sK does it on purpose. If I were him I would.

 

[FlakeNoir]

I think sK does it on purpose. If I were him I would.

Yar, can't you just see it...?

'Hmm, nearly at the end of the story... now to go back and make a few lil changes. What's likely to mess with them the most this time round? I know, I'll put a safety on a Glock... and screw around with Mercedes.'

Really though, I can see how it upsets some folks and takes them out of the story when things like this crop up, but the way I feel (personally) is--they're just stories and I have always gotten my money's worth (and then some) out of each and every tale, so is it really fair to poke at an author with a stick when something doesn't add up?

 

[Jan Timmich]

I know it's fiction and I'm absolutely with all the people who think a writer is free to invent whatever he considers necessary for his book. Concerning the car I'm talking (as the title of he thread indicates) about a technical error which would have been so easy to avoid. For a European the SL500 might be a huge car, for an American it's just a toy (expensive, yes). Would any American refer to a Corvette (which is more or less the same size) as to a massive sedan??? The S600 would have been the right model, no doubt. A 12 cylinder tank able to go through walls.

Somebody pointed out SK was very familiar with the Mercedes models, so he probably couldn't see Miss T. driving such a tank and then thought the SL is more a car for a woman.

 

[GNTLGNT]

 

[not_nadine]

Yes, A car more for a woman. I am still upset that they don't have pink Barbie cars. Then all of us could drive them, being women and all.

 

[Spideyman]

I know it's fiction and I'm absolutely with all the people who think a writer is free to invent whatever he considers necessary for his book. Concerning the car I'm talking (as the title of he thread indicates) about a technical error which would have been so easy to avoid. For a European the SL500 might be a huge car, for an American it's just a toy (expensive, yes). Would any American refer to a Corvette (which is more or less the same size) as to a massive sedan??? The S600 would have been the right model, no doubt. A 12 cylinder tank able to go through walls.

Somebody pointed out SK was very familiar with the Mercedes models, so he probably couldn't see Miss T. driving such a tank and then thought the SL is more a car for a woman.

If I want complete accuracy- or at least as accurate as the editors catching errors- I'd read a technical manual.
SK's book are entrainment, joyful escapes in characters, places and events. It's a lot more fun to just read and enjoy the journey than to nit pick what "appears to be" errors ( whether technical, locations or time frames). Just read and enjoy! There are other world's than these.........

 

[Neesy]

Yes, A car more for a woman. I am still upset that they don't have pink Barbie cars. Then all of us could drive them, being women and all.

as long as it has four wheel drive (I might consider it!)

Spoiler: Barbie Jeep

 

[Lyko]

I don’t think it is a mistake, but done intentionally. But then the question is even more valid. What was the intention?

You can‘t compare names of places or persons with brand names for objects in fiction. There is a common understanding that the places and figures in fiction are fictitious and more or less invented by the author (even then, there are disputes, e.g. some people were not happy about Thomas Wolfe’s „Look Homeward, Angel“. Sometimes, people even go to court, e.g. Maxim Biller’s novel „Esra“ was not allowed to be published.). But it’s different with objects: SK could have written about a car, not mentioning any brand. But he did. So he tried to evoke a certain effect by using a brand name. He’s using the brand image for literary purposes. The brand name is a different type of clue for the reader than the name of a ficticious city. So the reader reacts different to that type of clue. Do you find any discussions about the names of the places or the persons in the forums? No. But there are several discussions about the brand and the model of the car.