The Portland daily press., 1882-04-13
Boston Transcript
phe feminine DictiOn.

1t is important that should explain to the
few persons who may occasionally read my
critical essays that treat almost exclusively
of diction; but l hope to be able to show on
some other occasion that there. is never fail
ing resemblance between the thoughts and the
language of any author in prose or verse. As
Hobbies said, whose remarks are too true to be
often quoted, ''It is by means OF words only
that man becomes excellently wise or misera-
blv foolish" Clear thinkers only use clear
style, and an abundance of metaphor it fatal to
the exercise of reason. In tracing the differ
ence between masculine and feminine style
I shall confine my remarks chiefly to diction,
and leave the habits Of thinking and reason
ing peculiar to either sex for incidental COM
ment.
Some people are confident that they can
readily distinguish the writings OF the two
sexes; but though men and women differ as
much in their style of writing as in their in
tellectual traits, it would be hazardous to as
sumo that we should be able to assert aud
arrange any number of their productions ac-
cording to the sex of their authors. The
majority of writers have no individual traits
of style; but the best writers clearly display the
peculiarities of sex in their diction. As famil-
lar examples, Mrs. Julia Ward Howe and Miss
Dodge (Gail Hamilton) though very different,
have an original style, one that is readily dis
tinguished from that of the mass of female au-
thors; but in each we clearly discover the
feminine characteristics.
When compared together, the feminine die
ton is copious and fgurstiye, the masculine
dry and homely. Women have greater abun-
dance of illustration at their command, more
lively and happy expressions, and they write
with greater facility than men. In our high
schools there is much larger number OF girls
than bows who at the end Of their course, are
able to write good yer ses and good graduat-
irr essay. And this does not come from their
more precocous intellect; for the same dis-
proportion will be found between the sexes az
any age when similarly educated. In family
of girls and boys, if they have received equal
advantages, the boys, in most cases, are sur
passed by their sisters in letter writing.
Among the traits of feminine style are an
easy flowof elegant diction, and other quansies
that hold the readers attention with less effort
than dry masculine style Women nave
more ready use of all theirreSources, an aptness
iu calling to their aid appropriate figures OF
speech, and more OF what may Do styled verpai
eoauence. I do not mean eloquence without
thought, but eloquence founded on the metaph-
orical language of sentiment, kind that
awakens agreeable intellectual sensations, and
csptivates without convincing. Women do
not revise SO much as men, nor are they SO
capable of revision; and / am not acquainted
with female author of any distinction VINO
has used q dry style. II she were to select for
her model Adam Smith or Dugald Stewart her
works could not be read. Her style must be
beautiful if may use the expression, or 1t is
nothing.
{ There is a certain poetcal style which the
sentimental Warton calls "pure poetry" mean
ing, I suppose according to his own spprecia-
ton of it, the highest kind of poetry. This IS
not a point which shall discuss suppose 1t
to be the same as the "poetry of the soul, de-
scribed by Mime. de Stael This, If rightly
understand it, is species OF poetical compost
ton in which the fair sex are greatly our
superiors; and the author who affords the best
examples of this ''pure poetry" is Mrs. Hemans
the most charming of all female poets in re-
gard both to diction and sentiment. Will In
troduce an example of it, not as the best BY any
means that may be found in her works, but as
q fair illustration of my idea of it, and as what
seems to me a specimen of purely feminine
stvl6. 'f