Addison’s Prose Style after Sir Roger at Church
Addison
is one of the greatest prose stylists in English literary history. He was the
pioneer of a style that was very simple, lucid, natural, moderate, free from
extravagant expression, and called ‘middle style’.
The
most striking feature of Addison’s style is clearness and lucidity of
expression. There is no complexity or obscurity or difficulty in his
expression. Even, his long sentences are not difficult to understand. We can
guess the meaning of his long sentences very clearly at the very first reading.
Addison has also used short sentences when situation demands. For example, ‘As
soon as the sermon is finished, nobody presumes to stir till Sir Roger is gone
out of the Church.’
Humor is one of the most notable qualities of Addison’s style. His humor is mainly
ironical and satirical and sometimes funny. It is not harsh or bitter but
gentle and mild with a view to correcting the society.
Addison’s
style is not highly figurative. Fanciful similes and metaphors are not found in
his writings. Rather, when he thinks that his use of figurative language would
be more useful and effective, only them he uses them. Addison uses many
allusions, anecdotes, references. Additionally, most of his essays are headed
by quotation from classical or modern authors and these quotations are very apt
to the subjects of the essays. For example, Sir Roger at Church begins with the
motto from Pythagoras-
‘First,
in obedience to thy country’s rites,
Worship
th’immortal God’.
Addison’s
style is near to the language of conversation, but not to the informal
conversational style of Montaige. His prose style is neither the informal
language of conversation nor the ultra formal language of a serious and heavy
treatise. It is free alike from the heaviness of hidebound formalism and the
levity and license of common speech. It is something like a via media between
the two.
Thus,
Addison showed a perfect English prose style to a large extent and freed it
from extravagances and excesses of eighteenth century writers, and brought in
it clearness, lucidity and exactness.
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DeleteWill you please suggest me some points regarding prose style of Joseph Addison and Richard Steele ( combine)
ReplyDeleteBoth are lucid and free prose writers. Because they were friends their mindset, language seems similar with each other. schooling and college up to job they were with each other.
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