The sense of style : reading English prose /

Style in English prose has been, in recent years, a most neglected topic, reflecting a general unconcern for style in our society. It is therefore a pleasure to report that this is a book that recaptures style as a topic of discussion from such traps as are provided by deconstruction and transformational grammar, and that encourages us once again to think about prose style in a more traditional way. This is a civilized book, which begins with a concern about how prose style was changed by a shift from oral performance to silent reading. The central focus of the book, however, is the analysis of such matters as sentence "structures" and the impact of word choice on style. Two other impressive chapters are on what Thorpe calls the "personal" and "impersonal" traditions in English prose. The author manages to avoid any temptation to obfuscate the issues he raises with any kind of jargon, old or new. This is an urbane and sensitive book that will do much to bring us back to thinking about prose style again. The only regret is a compliment of sorts: one wishes that there were more of this book, both in its abstract argument and in the illustrations it provides. Recommended for all college and university libraries. -L. J. Clipper, Indiana University at South Bend