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