The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-03
DECAY OF LITERARY STYLE

u 4
II. as Is commonly charged, literary
style is declining, it should be cause
for keen regret among careful readers.
Readers of English literature have not
In recent years cared so much for the
literary form of a book as they have for
hts contents. This is we'll enough, per-
haps, If it is not carried too far. But
think how much more both reader and au-
thor get If both style and matter are good.
1t is true that style does not appeal to
most novel readers. All they care for is
plot and action. They do not read
closely enough to know whether the style
Is good or bad, even assuming that they
have the qualifications for judgment. But
there is certain proportion of readers
that loves good writing. The perfect SEN
tence is as much demanded by them as
the fascinating story They like a we'll
balanced, symmetrical composition. They
delight to find sentences, as we'll as para
graphs. in their places. Precisely the
right word in the right place wins their
applause Success in putting lucidly and
concisely an idea that the reader recog-
nizes as difficult to convey means as much
to the discreet reader as striking cpl
sode. %s'*
The reader who knows and loves good
literary style is disappointed and provoked
If he does not find it in the widely her
aided novel. Lacking in the quality he
| counts on finding, he is apt to have a pool
opinion of the book as a whole, no mat
! ter what it's substantial merit may be
| In books he expects to find language ant
| the fabric it composes dressed up. He
ished, imperfect, disjoined slovenly sen.
fences make up the daily oral exchange Of
| thoughts and facts. He expects to FIND
In a high grade novel an oasis in this
dreary desert of slouchy expression. He
is living in wilderness Of poorly ex-
pressed conceptions. He expects to fine
a park in the book. Clear cut sentences
not word too much, not sentence toe
many does he want. Everything must be
orderly, correct, we'll cared for. The work
of master of language is demanded as
we'll as the work of a master imagination
Dr. w. Robertson Nicoll, London
! Journalist, who laments that writer's 81
the Stevenson type are no longer with us
finds some consolation in the fact the
disregard of style in these days has, at
| least, had the effect Of removing the
studied elaborateness of an earlier period
Writers now may not say things SO well
| or so effectively as they might but al
least they do not have an artifcially bao
STYLE We can all remember when every
rhetoric teacher and text book told u
| how to prepare an Introduction, even tc
| the shortest composition Some genera
observation was considered indispensable
| as a starter, or else some reference &c
history or some quotation from the elias
sic. Nowadays our writer's, especially
the journalists, begin at the, beginning O.
what they have to say and proceed to say
! it. If they have an introduction at all
it is merely in the nature of striking
summary of what is to follow. This sim
pie smethod does not insure simplicity O.
style, for even simplicity in literature
comes through art, but it is not tiresom'
and boresome.l n ., e.: :. >.-.... -.
! at was the acceptable method of thu
time as DR.. zNicoll says, Ito begin tn
treatment of subject a thousand mile
off and gradually approach to it. For ex
ample, you had to write about some pass
ing political, event, and you started
when :Nebucha dnezzar, King OF Assyrla
was on his deathbed.' Any clever MAJ
could make that beginning lead on to an
subject" In those days style consisted Il
being deliberate and verbose, heavy an
grandiloquent. 1t was considered beneat
the dignity of good style to express a.
idea or give a description in the slmples
possible language: Even If we 40 no
have it in these times, we have come L
understand that style is simplicity an
that the greatest of stylists is the write
who can say the most with the feWes
good words, used correctly.