William Strunk, Jr.
I admit it. I experienced a certain naughty thrill when I saw “Strunk and White,” (as my teachers always called The Elements of Style) belittled and disparaged in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Here’s the headline: 50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice. Yikes! And the author is no paltry random blogger. Geoffrey K. Pullum is head of linguistics and English language at the University of Edinburgh. Before you click through and read this surprising critique, I must add a comment. As much as I enjoyed seeing The Elements of Style taken down a peg, the world would be a little darker without the charm and wit of the essays of E.B. White, and I would hate to think of childhood (my own, that of my children, and of all children) without the stalwart companionship of Stuart Little, and the wisdom and tenderness of Charlotte,Wilbur and Fern.
Tags: critique, elements of style, geoffrey pullum, strunk and white
Okay, I admit it – I was hanging onto a nostalgic thread by my red-knuckled hands – desperate to preserve the myth of dear old Strunk & White – I even cherished that blithe little dictum, Omit needless words! now shown up as a road sign without a road. At first I was upset with you, Sally, for shattering my cherished reality. Now, I have to thank you for not sending Charlotte, Stuart, and Fern to the darker reaches along with that apparently inaccurate, shallow little book that masqueraded as a gem in 7th grade English class. I liked its humor, and cherished its brevity, but now the veil is lifted. Damn, but the rules of grammar have always eluded me. Just glad I’m in White’s good company. Love your amusing and informative grab bag of a blog, though, with its ear to the intellectual currents and flotsam of the day.
undying gratitude for the omission of all those needless words: how many times would they have reached around the equator, cutting off circulation between the hemispheres?
Kathryn: I like that, flotsam of the day. According to old maritime law, flotsam becomes the property of the finder, while jetsam remains the property of its original owner. Appropriate. On the other hand, flotsam was usually what was left floating after a shipwreck. Hmmm. How do I feel about those implications?
And holbrow: Indeed, even WITH the admonitions of Strunk and White, still needless words girdle the earth (my own among them.)
This is the kind of notification I appreciate. Dictatorial old white men, you can’t help but cheer somewhere in your consciousness…Thanks for this Sal!