【5】 STYLE:THE WORDS THAT TELL THE STORY The word style,derived from the Latin word stilus (a writing instrument),is understood to mean the way in which writers assemble words to tell the story,develop the argument,dramatize the play,or compose the poem.Often the definition is extended to distinguish style from content.It is probably wiser,however,not to make this separation but to consider style as the placement of words in the service of content.The way a thing is said,in other words,can not be separated from the thing itself. Style is also highly individualistic.It is a matter of the way in which specific authors put words together under specific conditions in specific works.It is therefore possible to speak of the style of Ernest Hemingway,for example,and of Samuel Clemens,even though both writers at any time are adapting their words to the situations imagined in their works.Thus authors may actually have a separate style for narrative and descriptive passages,and their style in dialogue is likely different from either of these.Indeed,it would be a mark of an inferior style if a writer were to use the same manner for all the varying purposes that must exist in a story.It must therefore be emphasized that style is to be judged on the degree of its adaptability. The better the writer,the more the writer's words will fit the precise situation called for in the story.Jonathan Swift defined style as the right words in the right places.We may add to this definition that style is the also the right words at the right time and in the right circumstances. In its most general sense,style consists of diction(the individual words an author chooses)and syntax (the arrangement of those words and phrases,clauses,and sentences),as well as such devices as rhythm and sound,allusion,ambiguity,irony, paradox,and figurative language. Elements of Style
【5】 STYLE: THE WORDS THAT TELLTHE STORY The word style, derived from the Latin word stilus (a writing instrument), is understood to mean the way in which writers assemble words to tell the story, develop the argument, dramatize the play, or compose the poem. Often the definition is extended to distinguish style from content. It is probably wiser, however, not to make this separation but to consider style as the placement of words in the service of content. The way a thing is said, in other words, can not be separated from the thing itself.Style is also highly individualistic. It is a matter of the way in which specific authors put words together under specific conditions in specific works. It is therefore possible to speak of the style of Ernest Hemingway, for example, and of Samuel Clemens, even though both writers at any time are adapting their words to the situations imagined in their works. Thus authors may actually have a separate style for narrative and descriptive passages, and their style in dialogue is likely different from either of these. Indeed, it would be a mark of an inferior style if a writer were to use the same manner for all the varying purposes that must exist in a story. It must therefore be emphasized that style is to be judged on the degree of its adaptability. The better the writer, the more the writer’s words will fit the precise situation called for in the story. Jonathan Swift defined style as the right words in the right places. We may add to this definition that style is the also the right words at the right time and in the right circumstances. In its most general sense, style consists of diction (the individual words an author chooses) and syntax (the arrangement of those words and phrases, clauses, and sentences), as well as such devices as rhythm and sound, allusion, ambiguity, irony, paradox, and figurative language. Elements of Style
The following are some basic elements of style that we examine to characterize an author's writing. Diction:Choice of Words Although words are usually meaningful only in the context of other words,stylistic analysis begins with the attempt to identify and understand the type and quality of the individual words that comprise an author's basic vocabulary.When used to connection with characterization,words are the vehicles by which a character's ideas, attitudes,and values are expressed.Words convey the details of outer appearance and inner state of mind.In dialogue they reflect the speaker's intelligence and sophistication,general level of conscious awareness,and socioeconomic, geographical,and educational background.When used to describe incidents,words help to convey the narrator's (or the author's)attitude toward those events and the characters involves in them.When used to describe setting,words help to create and sustain an appropriate atmosphere. The analysis of diction includes the following considerations:the denotative (or dictionary)meaning of words,as opposed to their connotative meaning (the idea associated or suggested by them);their degree of concreteness or abstractness,their degree of allusiveness;the parts if speech they represent;their length and construction; the level of usage they reflect (standard or nonstandard;formal,informal,or colloquial);the imagery(details of sensory experience)they contain;the figurative devices (simile,metaphor,personification)they embody;their rhythm and sound patterns (alliteration,assonance,consonance,onomatopoeia).In studying fiction,we also need to pay close attention to the use of repetition:the way the key words recur in a given passage or series of passages in such a way as to call special attention to themselves. Syntax:Construction of Sentences When we examine style at the level of syntax,we are attempting to analyze the ways the author arranges words into phrases,clauses,and finally whole sentences to
The following are some basic elements of style that we examine to characterize an author’s writing. Diction: Choice of Words Although words are usually meaningful only in the context of other words, stylistic analysis begins with the attempt to identify and understand the type and quality of the individual words that comprise an author’s basic vocabulary. When used to connection with characterization, words are the vehicles by which a character’s ideas, attitudes, and values are expressed. Words convey the details of outer appearance and inner state of mind. In dialogue they reflect the speaker’s intelligence and sophistication, general level of conscious awareness, and socioeconomic, geographical, and educational background. When used to describe incidents, words help to convey the narrator’s (or the author’s) attitude toward those events and the characters involves in them. When used to describe setting, words help to create and sustain an appropriate atmosphere. The analysis of diction includes the following considerations: the denotative (or dictionary) meaning of words, as opposed to their connotative meaning (the idea associated or suggested by them); their degree of concreteness or abstractness; their degree of allusiveness; the parts if speech they represent; their length and construction; the level of usage they reflect (standard or nonstandard; formal, informal, or colloquial); the imagery(details of sensory experience) they contain; the figurative devices (simile, metaphor, personification)they embody; their rhythm and sound patterns (alliteration, assonance, consonance, onomatopoeia). In studying fiction, we also need to pay close attention to the use of repetition: the way the key words recur in a given passage or series of passages in such a way as to call special attention to themselves. Syntax: Construction of Sentences When we examine style at the level of syntax, we are attempting to analyze the ways the author arranges words into phrases, clauses, and finally whole sentences to
achieve particular effects.Although syntax is determined partly by the lexical content (or meaning)of the words and partly by the basic grammatical structure of the language,every writer enjoys considerably freedom to shape and control the syntactic elements of style.In looking at an author's syntax we want to know how the words have been arranged and particularly how they deviate from the usual and expected. Although one can study syntactic units smaller than the sentence---for example, individual phrases that call attention to themselves by their length,content,and placement---syntax is probably most easily approached and analyzed in sentences. Such an approach mirrors most closely the writing process itself,for sentences are the major units of thought,and it is on the crafting of sentences that most authors concentrate their creative energies.Sentences can be examined in terms of their length---whether they are short,spare,and economical or long and involved;in terms of their form---whether they are simple,compound,or complex;and in their construction---whether they are loose(sentences that follow the normal subject-verb-object pattern,stating their main idea near the beginning in the form of an independent clause),periodic(sentences that deliberately withhold or suspend the completion of the idea until the end of the sentence),or balanced(sentences in which two similar or antithetical ideas are balanced) Each type of sentence will have a slightly different effect on the reader.Long. complicated sentences slow down and retard the pace of a narrative,whereas short, simple sentences hasten it.Loose sentences,because they follow the normal, predictable patterns of speech,tend to appear more natural and less contrived than either periodic or balanced sentences,particularly when they are used in the creation of dialogue.Moreover,the deliberate arrangement of words within individual sentences or groups of sentences can result in patterns of rhythm and sound(pleasant or unpleasant)that establish or reinforce feeling and emotion.Although an author will usually vary the kinds of sentences used to avoid monotony (unless monotony is intended),certain syntactic patterns will dominate and become characteristic of that author's style. Style can be used as an aid to characterization,the creation of setting and
achieve particular effects. Although syntax is determined partly by the lexical content (or meaning) of the words and partly by the basic grammatical structure of the language, every writer enjoys considerably freedom to shape and control the syntactic elements of style. In looking at an author’s syntax we want to know how the words have been arranged and particularly how they deviate from the usual and expected. Although one can study syntactic units smaller than the sentence---for example, individual phrases that call attention to themselves by their length, content, and placement---syntax is probably most easily approached and analyzed in sentences. Such an approach mirrors most closely the writing process itself, for sentences are the major units of thought, and it is on the crafting of sentences that most authors concentrate their creative energies. Sentences can be examined in terms of their length---whether they are short, spare, and economical or long and involved; in terms of their form---whether they are simple, compound, or complex; and in their construction---whether they are loose(sentences that follow the normal subject-verb-object pattern, stating their main idea near the beginning in the form of an independent clause), periodic(sentences that deliberately withhold or suspend the completion of the idea until the end of the sentence), or balanced(sentences in which two similar or antithetical ideas are balanced) Each type of sentence will have a slightly different effect on the reader. Long, complicated sentences slow down and retard the pace of a narrative, whereas short, simple sentences hasten it. Loose sentences, because they follow the normal, predictable patterns of speech, tend to appear more natural and less contrived than either periodic or balanced sentences, particularly when they are used in the creation of dialogue. Moreover, the deliberate arrangement of words within individual sentences or groups of sentences can result in patterns of rhythm and sound (pleasant or unpleasant) that establish or reinforce feeling and emotion. Although an author will usually vary the kinds of sentences used to avoid monotony (unless monotony is intended), certain syntactic patterns will dominate and become characteristic of that author’s style. Style can be used as an aid to characterization, the creation of setting and
atmosphere,and as a means of reinforcing theme.Stylistic comparisons between authors provide instructive lessons in the dynamic,changing nature of the language itself.Comparing the style of Edgar Allan Poe to the style of Ernest Hemingway,for example,allow us to appreciate the movement in fiction toward less formality and more concrete diction,as well as simpler syntax,reflecting the modern tendency toward realism in fiction.Comparative generalizations about style,however,can be dangerous.Style is a highly personal and sometimes a highly idiosyncratic matter, open to endless opportunities for innovation and experimentation.Although some fictional styles are easier to read and understand than others,and although all readers sooner or later come to express stylistic preference,there is,finally,no one style that is best or most appropriate.The critic's job is to try to understand the distinctive elements that comprise an author's style,the various effects that those elements create, and the way in which they serve to reveal and reinforce the other elements of the work
atmosphere, and as a means of reinforcing theme. Stylistic comparisons between authors provide instructive lessons in the dynamic, changing nature of the language itself. Comparing the style of Edgar Allan Poe to the style of Ernest Hemingway, for example, allow us to appreciate the movement in fiction toward less formality and more concrete diction, as well as simpler syntax, reflecting the modern tendency toward realism in fiction. Comparative generalizations about style, however, can be dangerous. Style is a highly personal and sometimes a highly idiosyncratic matter, open to endless opportunities for innovation and experimentation. Although some fictional styles are easier to read and understand than others, and although all readers sooner or later come to express stylistic preference, there is, finally, no one style that is best or most appropriate. The critic’s job is to try to understand the distinctive elements that comprise an author’s style, the various effects that those elements create, and the way in which they serve to reveal and reinforce the other elements of the work
