Advances in the History of Rhetoric Jan 2004

STYLE REVISITED: THE DIALECTICS OF ESTABLISHED AND AD HOC USAGE IN EUROPEAN AESTHETICS

Demetris Bogiatzis New York College of Health Professions

Abstract

Abstract The tradition of Western stylistics, initiated by Aristotle, is impregnated with the dialectics between established and unconventional usage. In the twentieth century, Bakhtin acknowledged this dynamic through his conception of the dialectical nature of language. Concepts of the plain style, many of them emanating from the United States, deviated from this dynamic. Prestigious style handbooks such as The Elements of Style and Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, which championed a form of the plain style based on empiricism, offered advice that undermined the dialectical, dynamic nature of language. At the same time, calls for cavalier self-expression, e.g., experimentation in Baudrillard and experimentalism in Lloyd, could not account for the great achievements of Western stylistics. A paucity of stylistic diversity led Foucault to promote “heterotopias.” Cixous proposed a three-stage model for linguistic development designed to heighten dialectical interplay between tradition and novelty. Attuned to the crisis in written expression, Kristeva stressed the need for enhancing the role of aesthetic products in contemporary life.

Journal
Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Published
2004-01-01
DOI
10.1080/15362426.2004.10557227
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
classical rhetoric voice and style race and writing
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References (35)

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