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UC Notable Alumnus: William Strunk, Jr., A&South 1890

Time mag named UC grad's book, The Elements of Style, i of the 100 best and most influential

William Strunk, Jr. graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1890 with a bachelor of arts.

Past Cindy Starr

The nearly widely published book past a Academy of Cincinnati graduate may well be tucked away on your bookshelf. It isThe Elements of Style, first published past William Strunk, Jr. (A&S 1890) in 1918 and later updated and expanded by his most famous student, Eastward. B. White. Oft simply referred to as Strunk & White, the slim volume has helped generations of students, writers and editors bring clarity to their writing. More than 10 million copies of the continually updated volume, at present 95 pages in length, have been sold.

More than 100 years later on its initial publication,The Elements of Style remains a classic for many professors, while others prefer more current resource. Andy Jones, Manager of University of Cincinnati Bookstores, said that in a typical semester the book is required or recommended in iii or 4 UC courses.

Strunk enjoyed a classical educational activity at UC, earned a doctorate at Cornell University and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He wrote his self-described "little book" of rules and principles, originally only 43 pages in length, to help his Cornell students rise to a higher place mismatched tenses, misplaced commas and mind-numbing wordiness. Co-ordinate to Susan Beach, Strunk's peachy-niece, he besides hoped the volume would "speed up his grading past allowing him to marker the number of the rule that had been violated on a student's essay rather than writing out an explanation."

I'll tell you right at present that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style.

Stephen Male monarch, On Writing

For example, he illustrated the violation of Rule No. seven — participle phrases must refer to the subject — with this case: "Being in a dilapidated condition, I was able to buy the house very cheap."

In 1935 Strunk collaborated with Edward A. Tenney to revise and update the book for publication as The Elements and Practice of Composition. Several years after Strunk'south expiry in 1946, the Macmillan Publishing Company asked White, the author of Charlotte'southward Spider web, to revise the volume for the mass market. In 1957 Macmillan published the expanded book, which included White's introduction and a new chapter about the process of writing. White further revised the volume in 1972 and 1979; subsequent editions include a modernized arroyo to pronouns.

Strunk understood that articulate, concise, grammatical sentences were the bricks and mortar of good writing. He championed brevity and physical language, and he warned against nouns that fail to align with verbs, passive vox and redundant expressions. In general, Strunk brash, place the strongest words of your sentence at the terminate. White added warnings of his ain. Qualifiers like "rather, very, little, pretty … are the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words." And he added the truism known to all writers: "Revising is role of writing."

In 2011 Fourth dimension magazine named The Elements of Style 1 of the 100 all-time and most influential books written in English since 1923. Stephen King praised information technology in his book, On Writing. "I'll tell y'all right now that every aspiring author should read The Elements of Style. Rule 17 in the chapter titled Principles of Limerick is 'Omit needless words.' I volition try to do that here."

William Strunk was born in Cincinnati on July ane, 1869. He was the oldest of four children in a scholarly household. He attended Walnut Hills High School before earning his Bachelor of Arts at UC. At his commencement, co-ordinate to UC Historian Kevin Grace, he was ane of 11 undergraduates and 2 master's students to receive a degree. UC clearly left an impression on Strunk'southward family. His father, William Sr., served on the UC Board of Directors (as the Board of Trustees was known before 1977) from 1890 to 1898.

More than than 10 one thousand thousand copies of Strunk's continually updated book, The Elements of Fashion, have been sold since it was first published in 1918.

Strunk married Olivia Emilie Locke in 1900, and together they had three children. He wrote a 2nd book, English language Metres, which was published in 1922, and he compiled critical editions of works by famous authors, including William Shakespeare. In 1936 he served as the literary consultant for a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer flick, Romeo and Juliet. He taught at Cornell for 46 years.

White shares fond memories of Professor Strunk in the book'due south introduction. "He was a memorable homo, friendly and funny," he writes. Students, White included, felt "the sting of his kindly lash."

Strunk's writing was authoritative. His rules of grammar, White observed, were "phrased as direct orders." White preserves Strunk's pronouncements in his revisions while amplifying some points, clarifying others and deleting "bewhiskered entries." The blaring phone call for adherence to "the primary requirements of manifestly English language fashion" remains. Stylistic errors afford confusion; ready them so that people tin understand what you're saying. Simply White also knew that Strunk "was quick to admit the fallacy of inflexibility and the danger of doctrine." In capable easily, both agreed, rules tin can be set aside for the sake of fine art.

Friends and foes

One of Strunk & White's electric current adherents is Francis Cullen, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus in UC'southward School of Criminal Justice. He has been using The Elements of Manner for virtually 30 years. "I utilise it in a doctoral-level seminar called Criminal Justice Research Practicum," he said. "One-half of this course focuses on how to write a research paper. I assign Elements of Style for that purpose."

Erynn Casanova, Professor of Sociology, views Strunk & White as a valuable reference book. "You don't have to know which usually dislocated homophone is which, for example. You just take to know how to detect that information in Strunk & White. It is also helpful for students to see examples of unclear and clear writing side by side, because revising your writing requires both identifying the issues and figuring out how to set up them."

Lora Arduser, Associate Professor and Director of Professional Writing in the Department of English, uses an illustrated version of The Elements of Style in her Editing Professional person Documents class. Her advice to students: "There are definite rules that have to exist followed, such every bit subject field/verb agreement," but writing is largely well-nigh option. In many situations a dominion isn't really a rule; information technology's a preference, such as the use of the Oxford (serial) comma. As a author, you need to choose the most effective option to communicate with your specific audience."

Jeffrey Timberlake, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Sociology, was assigned The Elements of Mode in the mid-1990s, when he started graduate school. "I looked at the publication date (1959) and the length (95 pages) and immediately thought, 'what the heck?'" he said. "How incorrect I was. Packed into this tiny book are critical rules and tips, both full general and specific. When I got the opportunity to teach a writing form to graduate students, it was the first book I ordered. I assume my students volition look askance at it as I did, but volition quickly realize what a valuable resource information technology continues to be."

Rebecca Lindenberg, Banana Professor and Director of Artistic Writing in the Section of English & Comparative Literature, recalls being required to read The Elements of Style in her loftier school AP English grade. "Information technology made a very potent impression on me. It's an opinionated little book, full of the authors' pet peeves, but I took a few things away from it that take stayed with me throughout my career as a writer. Mayhap the most important is only: omit unnecessary words. That focus on clarity and concision was so instructive to me at an early on age, I believe it saved me a lot of trouble as a student and so equally a young writer. And I believe that detail communication remains as relevant as ever, which is impressive for a book that's almost a century old. (Though I am glad that more recent editions of the volume take addressed some more antiquated advice on, for example, the proper use of pronouns.)"

Packed into this tiny book are disquisitional rules and tips, both full general and specific.

Jeffrey Timberlake Professor, Section of Folklore

Despite routine updates that reflect cultural change — including the de-masculinization of pronouns — Strunk & White has not aged well with anybody.

Russel Durst, UC Professor of English language, said that many scholars in the field of composition view the book as anachronistic. "It's very much focused on putting words together to form good sentences," he said. "And while nobody could argue confronting that every bit an important office of pedagogy, it's not as big a focus in teaching limerick today. People now tend to focus more on the overall discourse, putting together a thesis and supporting arguments. I would say sentence written report today is a fairly neglected expanse of limerick."

Durst said that professors are guiding students with "a more flexible fix of writing strategies that focus on writing multiple drafts and revising for content and not focusing on sentences until the final typhoon, until ideas are well worked out. Most compositionists today would recommend doing some pre-writing to figure out what you lot want to say, then outset organizing your paper."

Laura Micciche, Professor of English and Managing director of the Graduate Programme in Rhetoric & Composition, said she has never assigned the book in whatever of her courses. "The volume is a sort of etiquette guide that emphasizes standard English language and its associations with social mobility, eye-form identity and whiteness," she said. "Linguistic communication, though, is rooted in civilisation and usage; home and school; identity and place affiliations. Through its prescriptive arroyo to English, The Elements of Style doesn't acknowledge that rules can't keep upward with the fluidity of usage. Despite these gaps, The Elements of Manner does provide writers with a baseline from which we can revise hard-and-fast rules and question the human relationship between language and culture."

Durst does acknowledge affection for the book. "When I kickoff encountered it equally a graduate pupil, I found it helpful and reassuring," he said. "It has a confident tone: This is the correct way to exercise information technology; this is the incorrect mode. I found that reassuring as I was starting to write seriously."

He also presents his students with his own list of pet peeves, including the timeless confusion of "it's" (contraction for it is) with "its" (possessive, equally in "The bird flapped its wings").

The reassurance The Elements of Way gives to developing writers — and to everyday humans who are chosen upon to write a personal argument, a comprehend alphabetic character or even a letter of sympathy — is perhaps the ultimate reason for the book's longevity. Cogent writing is an asset at all times, in all professions.

Cullen, the criminal justice professor, mused that although the origins ofElements of Style date back a century, the lessons information technology gives on grammer and writing remain strikingly contemporary. He noted several features that make it ideal for classroom employ. "It is curt, inexpensive ($ten) and can be read in one sitting. Information technology is an ideal resources to be kept on one's bookshelf. It is written in a prescriptive manner, communicating clear practise'south and don'ts of writing. And equally an added benefit, William Strunk, Jr. graduated from UC."

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Source: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2021/08/william-strunk.html

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