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Prose styles vary based on the writer’s personality and subject matter. The Elements of Style establishes rules for grammar and encourages writers to cultivate their own style. Kurt Vonnegut believes writers should sound like themselves and write about what interests them. Clarity is universally important, and established writers have differing opinions on what style is. Ultimately, style becomes part of the substance of writing and is the ultimate achievement of an educated mind.
Different prose styles can be as varied as the personalities and goals of individual writers. Often the subject of the prose can dictate the style in which it is written. The basic prose style may simply be a matter of expressing thoughts as clearly as possible given the subject matter. Afterwards, the prose style depends on the writer.
The Elements of Style, written by William Strunk, Jr. and EB White, has been used by writers and writing students for many years. It establishes rules of English grammar, punctuation and correct use of words. He concludes with some comments on prose styles, admonishing young writers to cultivate their own. Otherwise, “you’re dead as a writer.”
American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. has been characterized as a playful and distinctive stylist. One of his stylistic principles is that a writer should sound like himself. He also noted that perhaps one of the most important aspects of style is the subject matter. It should be something the writer is interested in.
Serious people tend to write about serious things. Their prose styles will suit their material. French writer Albert Camus’ The Plague uses disease as an allegory for the dangers of prejudice and hatred. His prose style conforms to this argument. The style of a satirist or a humorist will be completely different.
American writer Mark Twain’s conversational prose style is known for its simplicity, directness, and grace. Any writing style can be lucid and to the point regardless of the topic. French philosopher Blaise Pascal and American philosopher William James were both known for their ability to express complex ideas in clear and precise language. Clarity is a universally applicable style element
Established and respected writers have differing opinions on what “style” really is. For some it is a point of view. If there is no belief in the subject, there is no style. For others, style is craftsmanship, a way of saying things; it is a question of the correct placement of the word “right”.
Many writers think that prose styles really equate to the writer’s clear imprint on the material. In a sense, the writer is the style. Style becomes part of the substance of writing. As the English philosopher Alfred North Whitehead put it, “Style, in its finest sense, is the ultimate achievement of an educated mind; it is also the most useful. It permeates the whole being.”
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