Strunk & White shall be stricken

[bolson]

I'm converted. I went to a talk today by Geoffrey K Pullum (you may know him from Language Log) about that old classic, "The Elements of Style" by Strunk & White. In an hour he concisely laid out how it is 1. based on English of the 1800's, 2. badly, 3. with proscriptivist grammar that didn't match general usage then or now, 4. that the authors themselves broke. I went into the talk with some vague warm fuzzy notions about how this was a book I read back in high school 13 years ago and it must have had some nice things to say about how to think about composing written English. If it had that, it also has too many flaws. He recommended something by Joseph Williams on style, but I didn't catch exactly which of the three ({toward, the basics of, lessons in} clarity and grace) was specifically recommended. Maybe I should just read all three and this guy is the Edward Tufte of prose. Or maybe my writing is good enough for what I need it for.

Comments

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

I've read some of Pullum's criticism of Strunk and White on Language Log. He has some points but I think his hatred of the book is woefully overwrought and not unlike OS rivalry among computer geeks.

I have some notes somewhere for a counterpoint I'd like to write.

[shaggy-man.livejournal.com]

Indeed, I think it's worth noting that any half-decent style guide is far better than nothing at all. There's no point worrying about the best way of coaching someone who is in need dire need of first aid, which is the level of most people's writing skills.

[kdavoli.livejournal.com]

Actually, Tufte's wife has written a good bit on style herself.