Style: An Anti-Textbook
by Richard A. Lanham
On This Page
Description
"A necessary manual for those interested in the perpetuation, and the possibilities, of good English prose."--Harper's Magazine "[Lanham's] style is notable for its audacity, liveliness, and grace."--The Times Literary Supplement "The most applicably provocative book on the subject of prose style available. Imperative reading for all teachers and students of writing."--Choice This humorous and accessible classic on style calls for the return of wordplay and delight to writing instruction. show more Richard Lanham argues that many tomes on writing, with their trio of platitudes--clarity, plainness, sincerity--lie "upon the spirit like wet cardboard." "People seldom write to be clear. They have designs on their fellow men. Pure prose is as rare as pure virtue, and for the same reasons...The Books[Lanham's term for misguided composition textbooks], written for a man and world yet unfallen, depict a ludicrous process like this: 'I have an idea. I want to present this gift to my fellow man. I fix this thought clearly in mind. I follow the rules. Out comes a prose that gift-wraps thought in transparent paper.' If this sounds like a travesty, it's because it is one. Yet it dominates prose instruction in America."--from Chapter 1 Richard A. Lanham is professor emeritus of English at the University of California, Los Angeles, and president of Rhetorica, Inc., a consulting and editorial services company. He is the author of numerous books on writing, includingA Handlist of Rhetorical Terms, Analyzing Prose, The Electronic Word, and most recently,The Economics of Attention. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Richard A. Lanham, a Yale graduate, originally published Style: An Anti-Textbook in 1974 while working as an English Professor at UCLA. The book suggests a new pedagogy for teaching English composition—pleasure in writing. Mr. Lanham is critical of the traditional university approach to writing for clarity and calls instead for verbal patterns, syntax, and the rhythmic combination of words to convey not just meaning, but power, not just information or personal opinion, but distinctive expression. Style: An Anti-Textbook emphasizes using the verbal surface to convey the richness of human experience.
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Author Information
17+ Works 1,413 Members
Born on April 26, 1936, Richard Lanham was educated at Yale, receiving a B.A. in 1956, an M.A. in 1960, and a Ph.D. in 1963. After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, Lanham worked briefly for the Smithsonian Institution and then took a position teaching English at Dartmouth College. In 1965, he moved to the University of California at Los show more Angeles, eventually becoming the executive director of writing programs. He was a National Endowment for the Humanities senior fellow in 1973-74. Lanham is the author of numerous books on writing, including Style: An Anti-textbook, The Motives of Eloquence: Literary Rhetoric in the Renaissance, Revising Prose, Revising Business Prose, Analyzing Prose, and Literacy and the Survival of Humanism. He has also contributed articles to English Literary Renaissance, Modern Language Quarterly, English Studies, and other journals. Richard Lanham married Carol Dana in 1957. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Literature Studies and Criticism
- DDC/MDS
- 808.042 — Literature & rhetoric Literature, rhetoric & criticism Rhetoric and collections of literary texts from more than two literatures Rhetoric and anthologies Handbooks for writers English
- LCC
- PE1421 .L3 — Language and Literature English language English Modern English
Statistics
- Members
- 168
- Popularity
- 193,959
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 6
