Classic Style Writing Techniques
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Questions and Answers

There are ____ kinds of fit between thought and language in classic style.

two

The first-which makes the writer's language sufficient to his thought-is ______.

lexical

The second-which makes the writer's language an image of his thought-is ______.

structural

Thought and language can be misaligned in one of three ways. First, the sentence may not be ______.

<p>intelligible</p> Signup and view all the answers

Second, the sentence may evoke an image schema and then fail to _____ or complete it.

<p>fulfill</p> Signup and view all the answers

Third, the thought and the sentence may be structured by image schemas that _____ _____ each other.

<p>don't match</p> Signup and view all the answers

The most common image schema is ____ ____ _ ______ _____ from a source to a goal.

<p>movement along a directed path</p> Signup and view all the answers

A common perceptual image schema is -and-then-. We locate the object or domain of interest, and then we inspect its details.

<p>focusing, inspecting</p> Signup and view all the answers

A style is effectively a stand on a _____ ____ ____ ______ ___.

<p>small number of central issues</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style views itself as repairing the deficiency of plain style by introducing ______ and ______.

<p>sophistication, individual responsibility</p> Signup and view all the answers

In plain style, everyone is equal and truth is seen by all. In classic style, truth is available only to those who are willing to _____ to _____ it.

<p>work, attain</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style remedies the deficiency of plain style by requiring the writer to _________ ______ ______ _____ ______ he presents.

<p>stand entirely behind the work</p> Signup and view all the answers

Consider the gradient between plain style and classic style. The truth is ______ pure, and ______ simple.

<p>rarely, never</p> Signup and view all the answers

Anyone who wants to can attain classic style, but classic style views itself as an _____ ______, not a natural endowment.

<p>intellectual achievement</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the classic stand on presentation, writing is a perfectly ______ ______ through which a subject is presented.

<p>transparent window</p> Signup and view all the answers

In classic style, neither writer nor reader has a ____ because the writing and reading do not serve a practical goal.

<p>job</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style differs from contemplative style in two respects. First, classic style presents something, whereas contemplative style presents an _________ ____ something.

<p>interpretation of</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style presents the product of thought according to the ____ of _____, whereas contemplative style presents it according to the order of experience.

<p>order, reason</p> Signup and view all the answers

While Romantic style is not necessarily focused on the writer's thought, it is still, like contemplative style, about the writer. The romantic writer therefore cannot be an observer who sees something separate from himself. Classic writing may present personal material as an instance of a more general truth, but it never presents something that is merely ______ or essentially ______.

<p>personal, private</p> Signup and view all the answers

Between classic style and practical style is an agreement that ________ to express knowable truths.

<p>language is sufficient</p> Signup and view all the answers

There is _____ _____ ______ between the two styles, no gradient from one to the other.

<p>no common ground</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style has little in common with prophetic or oracular style because prophetic style cannot _______.

<p>place the reader where the writer is</p> Signup and view all the answers

The differences between the oratorical and classic models of speech are considerable because oratory and the writing styles based on it _______.

<p>have a lot of practical work to do</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style's ___________ and the ultimate _______ of its theoretical perspective.

<p>practical limitations, incoherence</p> Signup and view all the answers

The theology behind classic style prefers to limit its _______ while tacitly claiming ______ application.

<p>domain, universal</p> Signup and view all the answers

The theology behind classic style has at its base this model: truth _____ be known independently of thought, but the thought through which it is known can be ______.

<p>cannot, perfectly</p> Signup and view all the answers

The first qualification is a _____ limit: no writer can maintain for long the discipline needed to transcend personal interests.

<p>practical</p> Signup and view all the answers

The second qualification is an _____ limit: there is in fact no way at all even for the briefest space to know truth independent of thought.

<p>absolute</p> Signup and view all the answers

Writing is an ________ _________, not a bundle of verbal skills.

<p>intellectual activity</p> Signup and view all the answers

For classic style, _____ ______ consists of aligning language with truth and the test of this alignment is clarity and simplicity.

<p>successful presentation</p> Signup and view all the answers

Good style is defined not by a set of techniques, but by an ________ toward writing.

<p>attitude</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is most fundamental to that attitude is the stand that the writer ________ something before he sets out to write.

<p>knows</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is one among many different writing styles. It is a style that can be acquired __________, but is ________ to be picked up without deliberate effort.

<p>consciously, unlikely</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style was used with notable skill and effect by some of the outstanding _________ writers of the ______ century.

<p>French, seventeenth</p> Signup and view all the answers

These masters of classic style conceived of themselves as addressing an _________ but -____ audience.

<p>intelligent, non-specialist</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is _____ and ______. Prose is pure, fearless, cool, and relentless.

<p>focused, assured</p> Signup and view all the answers

The virtues of classical style are _____ and ______.

<p>clarity, simplicity</p> Signup and view all the answers

It is a style of presentation with claims to __________.

<p>transparency</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style rests on the assumption that it is possible to think disinterestedly, to know the results of disinterested thought, and to present these results without _____ _______.

<p>fundamental distortion</p> Signup and view all the answers

La Rochefoucauld's passage displays truth according to an order that has ________ __ ____ with the process by which the writer came to know it.

<p>nothing to do</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic prose is ______ to write, but looks _____.

<p>difficult, easy</p> Signup and view all the answers

The sentence has a clear _______ and ________.

<p>direction, goal</p> Signup and view all the answers

The elements of style can be expressed as a short series of questions concerning a set of _________ among truth, presentation, writer, reader, thought, and language.

<p>relationships</p> Signup and view all the answers

Style follows from a set of __________ rather than from a catalogue of surface features.

<p>fundamental decisions</p> Signup and view all the answers

The language of truth is ideally _____ speech.

<p>graceful</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style can be seen as a version of Descartes's approach to truth.Descartes saw himself not as arguing for a ________ but as trying to place the reader where he himself stood in order to make his subsequent actions _____

<p>conclusion, intelligible</p> Signup and view all the answers

In classic style, opinions stated ______ and distinctly are treated as if they can be verified by ______ observation.

<p>clearly, simple</p> Signup and view all the answers

Truth can be _____

<p>known</p> Signup and view all the answers

There is probably nothing more fundamental to the attitude that defines classic style than the enabling convention that______ can be _______.

<p>truth, known</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style assumes that the reader will be able to verify what he is being presented with because the style treats whatever conventions it operates from as if these were_____ by ______.

<p>shared, everyone</p> Signup and view all the answers

The concept of truth that grounds classic style does not depend on a _____ ____ ___ ____.

<p>particular point of view</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style expands the domain of truth to include anything that might require not merely the knowledge of a convention but even the ability to make a judgment. It treats all its objects as if they were ______ ______ to every observer.

<p>equally available</p> Signup and view all the answers

For the classical attitude, truth is a _______ for measuring human virtue.

<p>standard</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic attitude acknowledges human inadequacies, but is never despairing. We can even ________ in these aspirations.

<p>succeed</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer prototypically neither ______ nor _____ what is true.

<p>argues, asserts</p> Signup and view all the answers

The motive is _____

<p>truth</p> Signup and view all the answers

In classic style, the reader and writer are brought together by a common interest in the truth. The classical writer presents truth, and typically takes the position that the reader will _______ it.

<p>recognize</p> Signup and view all the answers

Prose is a ______

<p>window</p> Signup and view all the answers

______ is the central virtue of classic prose because the classic writer's defining task is to present something he has previously perceived.

<p>Clarity</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is perfect performance, with no ____, ______, or __________.

<p>hesitation, revision, backtracking</p> Signup and view all the answers

Every _____ counts.

<p>word</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style allows _______ but not ______.

<p>browsing, skimming</p> Signup and view all the answers

Clarity everywhere is not ______ everywhere.

<p>accuracy</p> Signup and view all the answers

_______ and _______ are among the most typical features of classic style.

<p>Distinctions, nuance</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style contains ______ ______ which are lost in skimming.

<p>essential nuances</p> Signup and view all the answers

The model of classic style is ______ _____.

<p>one person speaking to another</p> Signup and view all the answers

The ____ of classic style is the voice of conversation.

<p>idiom</p> Signup and view all the answers

The prototypical scene in classic writing is that of an _______ speaking intimately to _______, and as such differs from oratory.

<p>individual, another individual</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer is not speaking to a group, and as such takes the pose of ________ which may make him vulnerable by exposing what he cares about.

<p>authenticity</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer does not appear to have written things in a way he would not had he knows others were ______.

<p>listening</p> Signup and view all the answers

Prose is ______ but not rushed.

<p>efficient</p> Signup and view all the answers

There are no _____ _____ upon the classic writer.

<p>external pressures</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is ____ but not anxious.

<p>energetic</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style gives the impression that all of the writer's ______ ______ is communicated directly to the writing.

<p>considerable energy</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style eschews phrases such as 'as we shall see', 'three paragraphs ago', and other examples of 'metadiscourse', since it implicitly claims to ____ _____ _____ _____.

<p>proceed without a planned structure</p> Signup and view all the answers

Elite is ____ ______.

<p>not exclusive</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is ______, but the elitism of classic style is not the result of natural endowments.

<p>elite</p> Signup and view all the answers

The writer may speak with a _____ _____ not possessed by the reader, but his attitude is always that the reader lacks this mastery only accidentally.

<p>technical mastery</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is for ______.

<p>everybody</p> Signup and view all the answers

Unlike the heavily personal style of a Proust, classic style is assembled out of ______ and ______ that are available to everybody.

<p>attitudes, techniques</p> Signup and view all the answers

The reader is _____

<p>competent</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style is modeled not merely on speech, but on the core concept of _______ - a conversation between equals.

<p>conversation</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer does not have to ______ ____ ___ ____. All he has to do is offer the reader an unobstructed view.

<p>argue for a claim</p> Signup and view all the answers

The relationship between writer and reader in classic style is based on an unspecified set of _____ and _____ held in common.

<p>perceptions, values</p> Signup and view all the answers

The model assumes that the reader could ____ ____ _____ ____ in the conversation.

<p>take the next turn</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer ____ ____ _____ what she has to say because she has thought it out independently.

<p>stands fully behind</p> Signup and view all the answers

The ______ is self-sufficient.

<p>writer</p> Signup and view all the answers

The classic writer never appears to be pursuing -__.

<p>self-interest</p> Signup and view all the answers

Classic style frees writers from anxiety or silence by making the enabling assumption that the writer is ______.

<p>competent</p> Signup and view all the answers

The result of this enabling convention is prose that is ______ and that stays _____ track.

<p>unclotted, on</p> Signup and view all the answers

The writer does all the work _____

<p>invisibly</p> Signup and view all the answers

________ is powerful, since people believe a conclusion more readily if they think they have helped to reach it.

<p>Suggestion</p> Signup and view all the answers

The thought can ____ ____.

<p>stand alone</p> Signup and view all the answers

In classic style, writing is neither a way of ____ ____ _____ nor an art that exists for its own sake.

<p>thinking something out</p> Signup and view all the answers

______ can be clear and exact.

<p>Abstractions</p> Signup and view all the answers

From the classic viewpoint, the distinction between abstract and concrete has _______ consequence.

<p>no</p> Signup and view all the answers

When a classic stylist presents an abstraction, it is first conceived as independent of the writer, exhaustively definite at all levels of detail.

<p>visible</p> Signup and view all the answers

In classic style, thinking is seeing, or more generally, recognizing.

<p>truth</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Classic Style Flashcards Overview

  • Intellectual activity involves writing as a complex skill beyond mere verbal abilities.
  • Successful presentations align language with truth, emphasizing clarity and simplicity.
  • Good style is defined by the writer's attitude towards writing rather than strict techniques.
  • A writer must possess knowledge and aim to convey it effectively to the reader.
  • Classic style can be acquired deliberately, but is unlikely to be adopted effortlessly.
  • Prominent French writers of the 17th century skillfully exemplified classic style.
  • Classic style addresses an intelligent, non-specialist audience, ensuring accessibility.
  • Prose in classic style is described as focused and assured, characterized by pure, fearless expression.
  • Clarity and simplicity are hallmarks of classical writing, promoting straightforward understanding.
  • Transparency in presentation reflects an implicit claim to truthfulness.
  • Classic style assumes the possibility of disinterested thought, free from fundamental distortions.
  • In writing, truth should relate to the orderly process of its discovery without being obscured.
  • Classic prose appears effortless, mastering complex ideas while maintaining clear readability.
  • Well-structured sentences guide the reader toward clear conclusions relevant to the initial purpose.
  • Elements of style stem from relationships among truth, presentation, writer, reader, thoughts, and language.
  • Fundamental decisions shape style, moving beyond mere surface features of writing.
  • Language of truth is ideally graceful, creating an intimate connection between writer and reader.
  • Classic style reflects Descartes's philosophy, leading the reader through the writer's thought process toward understanding.
  • Opinions in classic style are clearly stated and treated as verifiable observations rather than arguments.
  • Truth is inherently known, challenging views that distance truth from universal verification.
  • Classic style operates on the assumption that readers can share verification of claims made by the writer.
  • The classic conception of truth is not contingent on individual viewpoints but asserts its universal state.
  • Classic style encompasses a wide domain of truth, assuming every observer has the capacity to verify presented knowledge.
  • Truth serves as a fundamental standard for measuring human virtue while acknowledging imperfection without despair.
  • Classic writers neither argue nor assert the truth; they present it clearly for the reader's recognition.
  • The classic writer aims to present truth collaboratively, assuming readers will naturally arrive at the same understanding.
  • The qualities of classic prose create a conversational tone, modeling an intimate exchange between writer and reader.
  • The writer shows authenticity without compromising the message intended for public reception.
  • Classic writers maintain clarity, avoiding unnecessary technical language while ensuring efficient communication.
  • Prose embodies an energetic quality, balancing articulation with calmness, free from external pressures.
  • Classic style gives a sense of dynamic energy, making thought appear effortless and perfectly presented.
  • Metadiscourse and non-structured phrases are avoided to present a seamless narrative.
  • Elitism in classic style arises from skillful effort rather than inherent talent, making it accessible to learners.
  • Classic style is composed of universally available attitudes and techniques, fostering competence in readers and writers alike.
  • The relationship between writer and reader reflects a conversation with an implicit symmetry of knowledge and interest.
  • Classic writers do not need to persuade, but rather present their insights for the reader’s discernment.
  • Common perceptions and values guide the decisions made in classic writing, assuming shared understanding among competent readers.
  • The interaction between writer and reader in classic style suggests fluid conversation and shared progression in thought.
  • Writers express their thoughts independently, eliminating self-serving motives or conflicts of interest in their presentation.
  • Classic writing eliminates distractions, allowing truth to stand out in clear presentation.
  • The classic writer invisibly conducts the presentation, making rigorous thought appear natural and effortless.
  • Effective communication ensures thoughts can stand alone, requiring clarity and decisiveness.
  • Classic style will present abstractions in clear, recognizable terms, showcasing their validity.
  • Thought precedes speech, emphasizing the preparatory nature of writing within classic style.
  • Classic writing presents language as fully capable of expressing all thoughts, achieving perfect alignment between concept and expression.
  • Misalignments in thought and language can occur but should be resolved in classical presentation.
  • A directed path serves as a foundational image schema, guiding readers through coherent narrative.
  • Classic thought emphasizes a process of locating and inspecting subjects, ensuring detailed exploration.### Forces
  • Familiar image schemas relate to concepts like impinging, pushing, and overcoming, especially in actions by agents.

Image Schema

  • Actions are often structured by an image schema, with agents performing verbs reflecting their actions.

Small Number of Central Issues

  • A style represents a stance on central issues, leading to the emergence of various mature styles.

Communal

  • Plain style embodies a communal scene where speakers affirm shared truths, contrasting with classic style that critiques plain style's simplistic theology.

Sophistication, Individual Responsibility

  • Classic style enhances plain style by introducing sophistication and individual responsibility, positioning itself as an aristocratic practice reliant on adult wisdom.

Work, Attain

  • Truth in classic style requires personal effort to attain; it is seen as held by individuals who have affirmed common wisdom.

Stand Entirely Behind the Work He Presents

  • Classic style requires writers to stand behind their work, ensuring that the thinking represents their own intellectual achievements.

Rarely, Never, Distinguished, Superior

  • Classic style refines plain style by qualifying truths and presenting intelligence as superior, distinguishing itself through a sparkling display rather than earnestness.

Intellectual Achievement

  • Attaining classic style is possible for anyone but is viewed as an intellectual achievement rather than a natural gift.

Transparent Window

  • In classic style, writing acts as a transparent window for presentation; the writer’s ability and language sufficiency are always implied.

Job, All the Time in the World

  • Practical style prioritizes timely information delivery with minimal distraction, unlike classic style which values discussing subjects for their intrinsic interest.

Interpretation Of, Order of Reason

  • Classic style involves presenting thought products, while contemplative style presents interpretations of experiences, reinforcing the writing as a record of thought processes.

Personal, Private

  • Romantic style intertwines thought with sensations and emotions; it does not separate the experiencer from the experience, unlike classic style which generalizes personal material.

Language is Sufficient, Channel for Discussion, Gradient of Conceptual Refinement

  • Classic style and practical style agree on language’s ability to express truths, while classic and contemplative styles share a belief in knowable truths.

No Common Ground

  • Classic and romantic styles embody irreconcilable conceptual differences with no gradient or transition between them.

Place the Reader Where the Writer Is

  • Classic style differs from prophetic style, which cannot effectively situate the reader alongside the writer.

Have a Lot of Practical Work to Do

  • Oratorical styles prioritize engaging diverse audiences and steering them towards action, contrasting with classic style's focus on thought.

Practical Limitations, Incoherence

  • Two main trade secrets of classic style include its practical limitations and the coherence challenges of its theoretical outlook.

Domain, Universal

  • Classic style's doctrine asserts truth can be briefly presented, favoring the restriction of its domain while claiming universal application.

Cannot, Perfectly

  • Core theology posits truth cannot be known outside of thought, although the understanding through which it is grasped can be perfect.

Practical, Absolute

  • Classic style’s truth conception is constrained by practical limits related to personal biases and the absolute challenge of knowing truth independent of thought.

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Test your understanding of classic style writing with this quiz. Explore key terms and concepts that define effective communication. Each card presents a crucial aspect of writing to evaluate your knowledge and enhance your skills.

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