writing

This is an excellent volume for teaching quality literary
criticism to collegiate-level students. In primary and
secondary school, the emphasis is on sentence construct.
i.e. A good sentence must have a subject, verb and object.
Although students may learn the mechanics of writing,
they do not pick up fine nuances in literary expression.
This work forces the student to develop a basic idea or theme.
Once developed the point of view must be defended persuasively.
The thesis of the work is contained somewhere in the first
paragraph. Sentences should be simple and stated actively.
Finally, each work should be developed in successive drafts
from the first to the final draft. I've found that students
have a problem differentiating literary criticism from a
simple regurgitation of what they read. The Practical Stylist
helps to focus each student's attention on enunciating
criticism of a person nature or within the experiential
domain of a first hand knowledge. It's painful to learn to
develop quality literary criticism because the primary and
secondary education simply does not focus on this aspect
in any meaningful depth.

I used (an earlier edition of) this book in an English composition class at the University of Kansas in the late 70's and have kept it with me ever since.

This book has so much to recommend it, it's hard to pick out one thing to emphasize, but the best advise I came away from the book with was Baker's admonition to give your writing the "Argumentative Edge." Like so many students, I found writing exceedingly painful: to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and begin writing inspired me not at all. I thought that I had to sound like Encyclopedia Britannica to write well.

Sheridan Baker slaps you around good to get that notion out of your head. To make your writing interesting (and as a bonus easier), he insists that your writing take a position, express an opinion, argue a point of view. Ditch "fairness" and objectivity--at least to get you started--and all of a sudden, writing becomes pleasurable.

I've never read this advice anywhere else (not even in Stunk and White), and it, along with many other jewels of wisdom have stuck with me for 20 years, making my writing life so much more fun than it otherwise would have been.

Goog work, Sheridan.

I first used this book in 1967 when I was aboard ship taking a course in Expository English offered by The Harvard-M.I.T. Commission on Extension Courses. It has everything one needs to know to become a clear, concise writer. Easy to understand and enjoyable. I used it for many years, then it was stolen. I have been looking for another copy ever since and was afraid it was out of print. I'm about to order my second copy.