Clear and Simple as the Truth
I am reading an interesting book on prose composition called Clear and Simple As the Truth, by Francis-Noel Thomas and Mark Turner. It is an interesting analysis of "classic style" in writing. The first chapters describe the elements of classic style, and the second part of the book offers examples of both "classic" and non-classic writing, along with a detailed study of the defining elements of style in each model.
The authors define classic prose as writing that: flows from the author's belief that truth can known and communicated; does not call attention to itself; is elegant and precise; and has its roots in the ancients, as well as 17th century French classic style.
Has anyone read this book, or used it as a supplement to a model-based writing program like CW?
Best wishes,
Jennifer
I just got around to reading this book
this week while housesitting - what a treasure! It seems to me that their "classic" is not exactly synonymous with "classical," but there is a great deal of overlap. I loved the way they spelled out the assumptions of the classic stance on truth; I do see a great deal of commonality with at least some of the ancients there.
-Drew
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"I wonder how far I shall carry any opinion with me when I plead for active effort to revive the general use of Latin?" - Hilaire Belloc
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