STYLE AND STATEMENT
by Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors
Oxford University Press; (July 1, 1998)
A book review by Linda M. Donovan

How much of our art is creative instinct and how much is sweat and blood?

Are we creatures of instinct, artisans of the word, sculptors of language, driven to delve into the block of our humanity and expose the buried truth of our pitiful existence?

On the other hand, if we assume it's all hard work, how is it that some material can appear perfectly crafted, yet leave the reader cold?

We must assume there is a balance of both instinct and hard work.

Compare writing to sculpture, we hold a vision in our mind's eye, hack out the rough form and then hone it to perfection. We, as creators, are rewarded by the process and our readers, we hope, will be captivated by the form that emerges.

To create, writers and sculptors need both raw material and the proper tools. Since words are the writer's raw material, what is our primary tool?

In short—style. Style and Statement is the instruction manual for our tools. Just as there are style tools we use without giving them a second's thought, the mastery of one or two seems to elude us completely. You may examine a tool, tentatively apply it to the craft and put it back down. Finally, you give in, pick up the instruction manual on how to use the tool, learn its intrinsic value to your craft, and reapply yourself to mastering it.

In Style and Statement, Corbett and Connors ease open the drawers of the box, placing each tool on the workbench, lovingly showing us its use and its effect on our raw material. In the tradition of master craftsmen, they have us copy the strokes and curves and encourage us to decide if we wish to put that tool in our own toolboxes. If we understand the tools cradled in our hands, the assumption is we can use them to shape our scenes, plot our novels, and write for our readers in ways as pleasing as they are persuasive. This 141-page book is essentially the fourth chapter of their greater work, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, and presents an excellent insight into that elusive thing called style.

Don't skip the Preface, which contains excellent background information regarding the age-old question: What is style? In essence, style is the art of persuasion. After all, aren't we persuading our readers to follow us, whether we're writing fiction or non-fiction?

The authors state that we "acquire...versatility of style in three ways: 1) through a study of precepts or principles...(2) through practice in writing...(3) through imitation of the practice of others." [Corbett and Connors, Style and Statement, pg. 3]

Once the authors open the toolbox, think of them picking up a state-of-the-art camera and focusing on the contents. They open with a close-up discussion about word choice, i.e., diction as defined by the acquisition of an adequate vocabulary, the denotative and connotative uses of words, and the purpose of precision in our prose. This speaks to the emotional impact of a single word.

Then they open the lens wider to include the composition of the sentence, and once we are well focused, they put on the wide-angle lens to include types of sentences, the variety of sentence patterns, sentence euphony and articulation of sentences. Sound overwhelming? It can be, frankly. But there is depth of field to their work, which becomes apparent the more one studies it.

The largest section is on figures of speech. Thankfully, they declined to use the almost 200 classifications of figures of speech in Peacham's 1577 edition of The Garden of Eloquence, electing instead to direct our attention to the most useful examples: schemes and tropes. Schemes of words (poetic diction), schemes of construction and the tropes (metaphor, simile, synecdoche, et al) bring out the sparkle in your prose.

Throughout the book, the authors provide the student with examples, using sources such as literature, advertising, famous (or infamous) speeches and lyrics from songs.

They conclude with readings from Hugh Blair, John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address and A Paragraph of Virginia Woolf Analyzed for Style.

The study of style does not negate the unique quality of your writer's voice; it brings contrast and definition to your writing.

Absolutely worth the investment of time.

© Linda M. Donovan 2004

Linda (McKennaD18@comcast.net) lives near Puget Sound, Washington. A former software engineer, she says, “I write from images and emotions, then ferret out the story and characters—kind of like bending chicken wire into strange shapes, then placing the right mix of materials to produce something pleasing to experience; something to remember; to ponder.”

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