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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
This was an informative, useful and at times fun to read intermediate level reference on English Rhetoric. Every writer at some point should pick up a copy.
It is not something to read in one sitting, nor is it something to read only once, as there is a lot of sometimes complex information packed into this small volume. But as something to refer to, and re-read in pieces over time, it presents with quite the value for the wordsmith.
It introduced me to some writers and speakers I otherwise might not have encountered, but whom now I will at least investigate further. (If for no other reasons then to read the rest of the speeches from which the excellent examples are drawn.)
That being said, I found it to at times be a bit thick, repetitive beyond what was required to make the point, and unnecessarily convoluted when presenting examples that bore little difference from the wealth of examples already provided.
To the uninitiated, the author complicates the issues by explaining a concept, supplying plentiful examples, and then sub-categorizing to such a degree that what would otherwise have been a simple concept takes on the appearance of being rather complex.
For example, if a recipe book were to be laid out in a similar fashion, the text would define salad, explain how to create same, proceed to elaborate on different types of salad, as well as with what other foods they may be safely paired. Not enough for some, more than is needed for others, but a logical amount of information for most. Using such a book would explain the nature of say, a Caesar salad. The reader could probably assume that certain salads would proceed to fall under this umbrella.
Yet to extend this metaphor, the book at times would use long lists to distinguish a Caesar salad served in a wooden bowl, from a Caesar salad served in a glass bowl. And than one served in a plastic bowl. And finally, one served on a plate instead of a bowl, (a plate which could also be wooden, glass, or plastic.)
In every case above, the salad itself is unchanged. It is merely served in different receptacles. While a valid technical difference does exist, are four more pages of such elaboration really making the concept of a Caesar salad any clearer to the reader? I would suggest they do not, and at times initial clarity becomes muddied with so much specificity.
However on the whole, a treasure for language enthusiasts. I will be reading it again in pieces for years to come, and applying its lessons to my own writing and speaking. (Some of which I already recognized in the definitions given in the book. Another of its strengths being to define what is already familiar to us, subconsciously.)
It is not something to read in one sitting, nor is it something to read only once, as there is a lot of sometimes complex information packed into this small volume. But as something to refer to, and re-read in pieces over time, it presents with quite the value for the wordsmith.
It introduced me to some writers and speakers I otherwise might not have encountered, but whom now I will at least investigate further. (If for no other reasons then to read the rest of the speeches from which the excellent examples are drawn.)
That being said, I found it to at times be a bit thick, repetitive beyond what was required to make the point, and unnecessarily convoluted when presenting examples that bore little difference from the wealth of examples already provided.
To the uninitiated, the author complicates the issues by explaining a concept, supplying plentiful examples, and then sub-categorizing to such a degree that what would otherwise have been a simple concept takes on the appearance of being rather complex.
For example, if a recipe book were to be laid out in a similar fashion, the text would define salad, explain how to create same, proceed to elaborate on different types of salad, as well as with what other foods they may be safely paired. Not enough for some, more than is needed for others, but a logical amount of information for most. Using such a book would explain the nature of say, a Caesar salad. The reader could probably assume that certain salads would proceed to fall under this umbrella.
Yet to extend this metaphor, the book at times would use long lists to distinguish a Caesar salad served in a wooden bowl, from a Caesar salad served in a glass bowl. And than one served in a plastic bowl. And finally, one served on a plate instead of a bowl, (a plate which could also be wooden, glass, or plastic.)
In every case above, the salad itself is unchanged. It is merely served in different receptacles. While a valid technical difference does exist, are four more pages of such elaboration really making the concept of a Caesar salad any clearer to the reader? I would suggest they do not, and at times initial clarity becomes muddied with so much specificity.
However on the whole, a treasure for language enthusiasts. I will be reading it again in pieces for years to come, and applying its lessons to my own writing and speaking. (Some of which I already recognized in the definitions given in the book. Another of its strengths being to define what is already familiar to us, subconsciously.)
Made me very much wish I had been taught rhetoric at an earlier age.
If I were wittier, I would deploy one of the outlined figures here.
If I were wittier, I would deploy one of the outlined figures here.
informative
fast-paced
enjoyed, wish there was more variety of terms but this is only a minor quibble
As he did in The Practicing Stoic, the author has written a summary that consists mostly of an organized collection of quotations, here to show examples of figures of speech used in spoken and written rhetoric. Each chapter is about a different figure of speech and these are divided into three categories: repetition of words and phrases, structural matters, and dramatic devices. The figures of speech are defined in English and by their Greek name as in “Simple Repetition of Words and Phrases: Epizeuxis…”
I think this work might be dull for someone without a particular interest in the topic. Even so, I found it frequently entertaining because of the many great example quotations. Farnsworth uses quotes from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Thomas Paine, Herman Melville, The King James Bible, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, and many others. I enjoyed many of these, both as an example of the use of a particular figure of speech and in general.
Here are two examples:
1. For Litotes:
She was not quite what you call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain
2. For Prolepsis:
"Although the fate of Poland stares them in the face, there are thoughtless dilettanti or purblind worldlings who sometimes ask us: "What is it that Britain and France are fighting for?" To this I answer: "If we left off fighting you would soon find out." Winston Churchill
I think this work might be dull for someone without a particular interest in the topic. Even so, I found it frequently entertaining because of the many great example quotations. Farnsworth uses quotes from Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Thomas Paine, Herman Melville, The King James Bible, William Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, GK Chesterton, and many others. I enjoyed many of these, both as an example of the use of a particular figure of speech and in general.
Here are two examples:
1. For Litotes:
She was not quite what you call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot. Mark Twain
2. For Prolepsis:
"Although the fate of Poland stares them in the face, there are thoughtless dilettanti or purblind worldlings who sometimes ask us: "What is it that Britain and France are fighting for?" To this I answer: "If we left off fighting you would soon find out." Winston Churchill
Useful overview of a bunch of different figures of speech. 75% of this book is examples, but honestly that's the most important thing students can have if they want to learn how to use these figures of speech (examples along with practice). The wealth of examples Farnsworth has here from skilled English authors is excellent, and his occasional commentary is helpful as well. How this is best used to teach students rhetoric (as a textbook or just as a reference) could be debated, but certainly as a teacher having this collection of listed tropes and copious examples of each trope is a very fine tool to have in my instructional toolbox.
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Rating: 4 Stars (Very Good).
Rhetoric is the fancy footwork of language. It's flashy and fun but can conceal vapidity. Never let a trick fool you or a fool trick you. By teaching you these devices, it also teaches you to recognize them. I can't help but see anaphora and anadiplosis everywhere from moth stories to School of Rock. By bringing my attention to words, by showing me the unique power of arranging words, by reintroducing me to the joy of composing words, this book reinvigorated my pleasure in writing, whether I happen to be using one of its devices or not.
While many people might not find this to be a page turner, I really enjoyed the book. The author provided a number of examples of rhetorical figures and, as a result, I started to notice, and appreciate, them in other things I read. It made me want to read more in this area.