Style (book)
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | London , United Kingdom |
| Products | Books |
F. L. Lucas's Style (1955) is a detailed examination of writing and appreciating compelling prose, developed from lectures given at Cambridge University. The work investigates the reasons behind much writing being verbose or uninspiring and highlights attributes that lend language its persuasive force and effectiveness. Presented through eleven essays enriched with quotations and anecdotes, the book delivers guidelines, samples of skilled prose, and cautions.[1] Central to the book is the principle of "courtesy to readers," which underscores the importance of sophistication, wit, elegance, and discipline as essential elements for productive writing.[2] The text frequently draws on 18th-century luminaries such as Voltaire and Gibbon, alongside later figures like Sainte-Beuve and Lytton Strachey.
Contents
Lucas opens by defining what constitutes prose style and its significance in professional contexts, questioning the extent to which style reveals personality but ultimately asserting that writers ought to present their finest selves.[3] He delineates components of clear and varied prose; cautions against typical errors; and explores strategies for planning, drafting, and revising. The examples provided cover a broad spectrum including letters, essays, criticism, biography, history, novels, and drama.
The chapters explore topics such as the rhythm and sound qualities of prose; rhetorical figures such as simile and metaphor; and devices like irony, inversion, and antithesis. For advice on usage, Lucas directs readers to Fowler’s Modern English Usage, while advocating for safeguarding English’s purity amid ongoing linguistic changes.[4]
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"There is no consistently excellent stylist who has not worked as diligently as an ant."[5] "One should frequently ask oneself... 'Is this truly what I mean? Am I writing for effect... or out of fear...?'" [6] "A writer must regard his creations with the strictness of a Spartan parent..."[7]
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| ― F. L. Lucas, Style (1955) |
- Preface
- Chapter 1: The Value of Style
- Chapter 2: The Foundation of Style – Character
- Chapter 3: Courtesy to Readers – (1) Clarity
- Chapter 4: Courtesy to Readers – (2) Brevity and Variety
- Chapter 5: Courtesy to Readers – (3) Urbanity and Simplicity
- Chapter 6: Good Humour and Gaiety
- Chapter 7: Good Sense and Sincerity
- Chapter 8: Good Health and Vitality
- Chapter 9: Simile and Metaphor
- Chapter 10: The Harmony of Prose
- Chapter 11: Methods of Writing
Background and publishing history
The origins of Style lie in Lucas’s initial Cambridge lectures delivered between 1946 and 1953 following his return from Bletchley Park.[8] Originally entitled 'Good prose, and the writing of it,' later retitled 'Style,' these sessions aimed at enhancing student essays that Lucas believed were undermined by New Criticism.[9] His background as an Intelligence report writer in Hut 3 coupled with his conviction about language’s impact on national vitality inspired him to expand his lectures into a comprehensive volume.[10][11] The book first appeared in print in 1955 through Cassell & Company in London and Macmillan Company in New York, achieving seven UK printings by 1964. The second edition (New York 1962; London 1964) incorporated minor updates along with footnote translations for foreign citations.[12] Cassell reissued the original edition in 1974 with a Foreword by Sir Bruce Fraser, mistakenly labeling it as the "second edition." After being out-of-print for many years, Harriman House Publishing revived the authentic second edition in 2012 including Lucas’s translations and added the subtitle 'The Art of Writing Well'.[13] A fourth edition followed in 2020 featuring minor corrections plus a Foreword by Joseph Epstein.
Reception
The reception to Style was largely positive.[14][15] Time and Tide described it as "a charming volume" that exemplifies both delight in reading and mastery over writing.[16] It became Lucas's most acclaimed publication.[17] Recognized as a stylist,[18][note 1] he earned praise for prose that combined lucidity with captivation.[19] Several critics pointed out the abundant apt foreign quotations as a major asset (Rayner Heppenstall in the New Statesman).[20] Some desired fewer poetic illustrations in favor of more modern examples.[20][21] The magazine The Listener appreciated its amusing anecdotes.[22] Sir Bruce Fraser commended Lucas’s sharp analysis of poor style as justification enough for purchasing the book.[23] Nevertheless, Raymond Mortimer occasionally found Lucas’s approach overly elaborate,[24] while Philip Toynbee from The Observer criticized it as somewhat "middlebrow" lacking sufficient exploration of stylistic diversity.[25] More recently Joseph Epstein hailed it as "the finest guide on prose composition," praising Lucas’s intellect and refinement,[26] an endorsement that contributed to its republication.[27][28]
'On the Fascination of Style' (1960) and 'The Art of Proverbs' (1965)
In March1960 Lucas revisited themes from his earlier work with a concise essay titled 'On the Fascination of Style' published in Holiday.[29] This piece reorganizes key ideas from Style, introduces fresh examples alongside personal reflections, and has been reprinted in anthologies such as Birk & Birk's The Odyssey Reader: Ideas and Style (1968)[11] and McCuen & Winkler’s Readings for Writers (2009).[30] Harriman House republished it under the title 'How to Write Powerful Prose' in2012.[31]
His related essay 'The Art of Proverbs', featured in September1965 also by Holiday, investigates conciseness and metaphor through worldwide proverbs as sources offering wit alongside insight into human nature.[32] This essay appeared again within Mieder & Sobieski’s compilation addressing proverb relevance published in2006.[33]
References
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.10, p.16
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), dust-jacket
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.48, p.61
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), pp.35–45
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.269
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.151
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.166
- ↑ Cambridge University Reporter, 1946–1953
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.24–25
- ↑ Lucas, F. L., Style (London 1955), p.22, p.143
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ F. L. Lucas Style: The Art of Writing Well, Harriman House Publishing 2012
- ↑ F. L. Lucas, Style: The Art of Writing Well, Harriman House Publishing 2012, pp.i–iii (press quotations)
- ↑ Nowell-Smith, Simon, The House of Cassell, 1848-1958 (London 1958)
- ↑ Hugh Gordon Porteus, review of Style in the Time and Tide, September 1955
- ↑ Wilkinson, L. P., Kingsmen of a Century, 1873–1972 (Cambridge 1980)
- ↑ Sir Richard Livingstone, Foreword to Lucas's Euripides and his Influence (Boston 1923)
- ↑ Cassell's advertisement for Lucas's Studies French and English (London 1934), dust-jacket
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Rayner Heppenstall, 'Prose for General Purposes', review of Style in The New Statesman and Nation, September 24,1955,pages371-372
- ↑ J. M. Cohen, review of Style in The Spectator, November18,1955
- ↑ Review of Style in The Listener, September1955
- ↑ Foreword by Sir Bruce Fraser to1974 Cassell reprint of Style
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedRM in TST 1955 - ↑ Philip Toynbee, review of Style in The Observer, September11,1955
- ↑ Epstein, Joseph,'Heavy Sentences', The New Criterion, June2011 [1]
- ↑ F. L. Lucas,Style:The Art of Writing Well(Harriman House Publishing2012), Publisher's Acknowledgements,p.257
- ↑ Walther,Matthew,'The Art of Writing Well', reviewofStyle, New English Review July2012
- ↑ Holiday magazine Vol27 No3 March1960 pp11-21; Curtis Publishing Company, Pennsylvania
- ↑ McCuen Jo Ray & Winkler Anthony C., eds., Readings for Writers(New York2009) ISBN 1-4282-3128-5
- ↑ 'How to Write Powerful Prose', Harriman House Publishing,Petersfield
- ↑ Holiday magazine Vol38 No3 September1965 pp8-13; Curtis Publishing Company, Pennsylvania
- ↑ Mieder Wolfgang & Sobieski Janet(eds.), Gold Nuggets or Fool’s Gold? Magazine and Newspaper Articles on the(Ir)relevance of Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases Burlington University Press(2006) pp41–49]
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