Jenny’s answer to “why on earth is this book so BORING?” > Likes and Comments

Stiff you say, but compared to what and measured how? Stiff is one of those words bandied about by folks who, try as they may to sound intelligent about a topic they aren't quite intelligent about, use in order to try to make themselves sound intelligent, and it works some of the time. It's a really hard thing to justify, or it's an incredibly easy thing to justify, just say, 'I thought they were stiff' and leave it go at that. Comparing the language and components of the mid-19th century with modern books sure, maybe the characters and prose might seem stiff, whatever that really means, but it's like comparing apples and oranges, and in that regard doesn't really mean anything, any more than expressing one's opinion means anything. Your phrase "terribly stiff" is what got my attention, and provoked a response. I just can't see it, no matter how hard I try.

Stiff as in Fenimore repeats the same phrases over and over again, to the point of triteness. Fenimore's writing lacks expressiveness,