The voices of English women technical writers, 1641–1700: Imprints in the evolution of modern English prose style

Technical Communication Quarterly Mar 1998

The voices of English women technical writers, 1641–1700: Imprints in the evolution of modern English prose style

Elizabeth Tebeaux Texas A&M University

Abstract

The first books and the first technical books published by English women during the 1475–1700 period can be useful in teaching students about the emergence of technical style or “plain style.”; If we examine the style of these women writers, long ignored by canonical studies, we can see that plain English existed before Bacon and received its impetus not from science, but from the utilitarian attitude that pervaded the 1475–1700 period. These women writers provide a microcosm for studying the rise of modern English prose and what we now call technical (or plain) style. They also provide an efficient way to expose students to early published works by women and their contribution to the history of technical writing. Examining style from such a perspective helps students see that technical communication was a prevalent kind of writing before Bacon and the Royal Society. Thus, technical communication—and the style of technical communication—studied from this unique historical perspective deepens students’ awareness of the roots of technical communication as it contributed to the history of English discourse.

Journal: Technical Communication Quarterly
Published: 1998-03-01
DOI: 10.1080/10572259809364621
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality voice and style

Citation Context

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Cites in this index (2)

TEBEAUX (1993)

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Written Communication
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Also cites 4 works outside this index ↓

Croll Morris (1966)

Style, Rhetoric, and Rhythm: Essays by Morris Croll

↗
Fores Michael (1984)

10.1177/007327538402200301

History of Science ↗
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↗
Tebeaux Elizabeth (1997)

The Emergence of a Tradition: Technical Writing in the English Renaissance, 1475–1640

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 18 View in citation network →