Audiobook · read by volunteers
Philosophy of Style
Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)
Read by Gary Gilberd · 3 chapters · 1 h 26
About the book
What makes a sentence powerful? Herbert Spencer thought the answer lay in economy: every word that a reader must puzzle over costs mental energy, so the most forcible writing is the writing that asks for the least effort. In his essay on the philosophy of style, he works out the idea in detail, discussing the choice of words, the order in which parts of a sentence should come and the way figures of speech can help or hinder. He applies principles drawn from psychology to everyday questions of composition, and he offers practical advice along the way. The essay is clear, systematic and a little severe, as one might expect from this philosopher. Three sections, read by a single volunteer, last about an hour and a half. It will interest writers, teachers and anyone who wonders why some prose reads smoothly while other prose tires us.
Introduction
Herbert Spencer, who lived from 1820 to 1903, was an English philosopher and social thinker, much discussed in the Victorian era for his ideas on evolution and society. The Philosophy of Style first appeared in a periodical in 1852.
The essay is an early attempt to explain style by means of principles, instead of rules of thumb. Spencer argues that the reader's attention is a limited resource, and that good writing is writing that spares it. He deals with the placing of words in a sentence, with the use of simple or complex vocabulary and with the effect of figures. Not all his claims have lasted, yet the essay is still read as an influential piece on composition.
The recording has three sections, all devoted to the causes of force in language that depend on economy of the mental powers. It is read by one LibriVox volunteer and lasts around an hour and twenty minutes. A modern listener may find Spencer's tone formal, but his analysis is full of useful observations, and the discipline of hearing it can sharpen one's own sense of how sentences work. Some of Spencer's examples may feel dated, since they come from the English prose of his time, but the underlying question is still an important one for anyone who writes. A listener who pays attention to how a sentence unfolds will begin to notice the points he makes. The essay is short enough to enjoy in one sitting and to return to for further reflection.
Public domain
Herbert Spencer died in 1903: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text