Description
Book SynopsisAt the beginning of the eighteenth century ordinary written English was close to speech; by 1800, people expressed themselves much more formally, politely and precisely. Using examples from a wide variety of prose writers of the century, Carey McIntosh explains how and why this change occurred.
Trade Review'The Evolution of English Prose launches and sustains its major claims with unfailing lucidity. McIntosh expertly attends to the shift in 'the primary textures of prose' as they both register and influence the new ideal. His comprehensive map derives from precise topographical studies … is especially persuasive as an interpreter of grammars and dictionaries, which did so much to promote the new ideologies of decorum. In an academic climate that encourages blinkered polemics, McIntosh embraces multiple fields, perspectives and methodologies. The Evolution of English Prose deserves a wide readership.' The Times Literary Supplement
Table of ContentsPreface; 1. The ordering of English; 2. Literacy and politeness: the gentrification of English prose; 3. Testing the model; 4. Loose and periodic sentences; 5. Lofty language and low; 6. Nominal and oral styles: Johnson and Richardson; 7. The new rhetoric of 1748–93; 8. The instruments of literacy; 9. Politeness; feminisation; 10. Style and rhetoric; Epilogue - language change.
