William Hazlitt’s-The Elements of the Familiar Style-A Study

Author(s): Dr. Mohammad Rizwan Abdul Majid Sheikh

Abstract:

In the course of the essay "On Familiar Style" William Hazlitt spoke about the main features of the familiar style. In his considered opinion the familiar style consisted of these four virtues: it was not easy to write: it uses language of day-to-day conversation; it is of universal force and validity: and, it required proper application of words. In "On Familiar Style," Hazlitt begins with a definition of the familiar style. It is a precise and pure expression that steers a "middle course." It rejects pomp, gaudy show, and an outpouring of words that mean little or nothing. But it also rejects language that is coarse and vulgar. The familiar style, then, strives "to write as anyone would speak in common conversation who had a thorough command and choice of words." This kind of writing is easy yet forceful, perceptive yet ordinary enough for nearly anyone to understand. The writer selects the best possible words to express each idea and the proper forms for the subject. "Propriety and simplicity" are the key elements of the familiar style. According to Hazlitt, writing in either a vulgar or a "pedantic and affected" style is easier than composing in the demanding yet rewarding familiar style. Vulgarity is all too simple, yet it is "course and disagreeable." On the other hand, the familiar style has a "universal force and applicability" that audiences can appreciate even if it requires more effort from writers.

keywords:

Pages: 24-26     |    4 View     |    0 Download