The Lost Art of English Prose
English prose has lost its grandeur, its majestic restraint, and its ability to balance expressiveness and reticence. The dominant fashions in English prose have moved relentlessly in the direction of ever greater simplification and aesthetic minimalism, resulting in a kind of official dogma that favors a prose denuded of nuance, elegance, intricacy, and originality.
This shift towards simplicity is not a natural evolution, but rather a forced regimen that has led to a kind of competent dullness in writing. Good writing is produced not by forsaking the beautiful for the sublime or the exorbitant for the restrained, but by finding new ways of orchestrating the interplay between them.
The great prose stylists of the past, such as Sir Thomas Browne, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sylvia Townsend Warner, understood the magnitude of the musical forces at their disposal and used them to create a kind of wild polyphony and gorgeously wanton dissonances that is now largely absent from modern writing.
The Influence of the King James Bible
The King James Bible is often praised for its simplicity, clarity, and plain diction, but it is not the whole story. The Bible’s prose is a grand and gradual music, luminously clear in many respects, but also complex in its cadences and syntax.
The difference between the King James Bible and the prose of Sir Thomas Browne is not as absolute as one might initially think. Both styles are necessary for good writing, and when either becomes a forced regimen, exclusive of the other, the results can be only hideous.
The King James Bible’s influence on English prose has been significant, but it has also contributed to the simplification of writing styles, leading to a kind of monotonous ordinariness in modern writing.
The Winners and Losers of Simplified Prose
The winners of simplified prose are the readers who prefer a more straightforward and easy-to-understand writing style. However, the losers are the writers who are forced to conform to a style that is denuded of nuance, elegance, intricacy, and originality.
The writers who are affected by this trend are those who value complexity, depth, and beauty in their writing. They are forced to compromise their style to fit into the dominant fashion, resulting in a kind of competent dullness.
The readers who are affected by this trend are those who crave a more sophisticated and engaging writing style. They are forced to settle for a kind of monotonous ordinariness in modern writing, which can be dull and unengaging.
The Skeptical Case
Some may argue that the simplification of English prose is a necessary step towards making writing more accessible to a wider audience. However, this argument relies on the assumption that complexity is inherently bad and that simplicity is always better.
This assumption is not necessarily true. Complexity can be beautiful, elegant, and engaging, and it is not necessarily more difficult to understand than simplicity. In fact, complexity can be more engaging and thought-provoking, leading to a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
The Signal to Watch Next
The next signal to watch is the rise of a new generation of writers who value complexity, depth, and beauty in their writing. These writers will challenge the dominant fashion of simplified prose and create a new kind of writing that is engaging, thought-provoking, and beautiful.
This trend will be confirmed by the publication of new books, articles, and essays that showcase a more complex and sophisticated writing style. It will also be confirmed by the rise of new literary magazines and journals that value complexity and depth in writing.
What’s your take on this? Drop your perspective in the comments below.
By Alex Mercer, Senior Tech Analyst at TrendFlashy
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