The Evolution of English Prose, 1700 1800

A study of the change in English prose from strong oral influence to a new emphasis on formality and precision.

Zusammenfassung At 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. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface; 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.

Inhalt

Preface; 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.