Hence, an acquaintance with the latter, and, indeed, with the
liberal arts, is a prerequisite to the study of rhetoric and
belles-lettres.
COMPOSITION.
It may be laid down as a maxim of eternal truth, that _good sense_ is
the foundation of all good writing. One who understands a subject well,
will scarcely write ill upon it.
Rhetoric, or the art of persuasion, requires in a writer, the union of
good sense, and a lively and chaste imagination. It is, then, her
province to teach him to embellish his thoughts with elegant and
appropriate language, vivid imagery, and an agreeable variety of
expression. It ought to be his aim,
"To mark the point where sense and dulness meet."
STYLE.--PERSPICUITY AND PRECISION.
STYLE is the peculiar manner in which we express our conceptions by
means of language. It is a picture of the ideas which rise in our minds,
and of the order in which they are produced.
The qualities of a good style, may be ranked under two heads.
_perspicuity_ and _ornament_.
PERSPICUITY, which is considered the fundamental quality of a good
style, claims attention, first, to single words and phrases; and,
secondly, to the construction of sentences.
Pages:
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505