A POINT IN STYLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 9

A POINT IN STYLE.

A correspondent tlie other day (says an I English writer) askotl a discusMun of the whole "Question of St.vli , " us treated by Mr. Bennett in his liltlo'bonk on "Literary'■ Taste." Such a discussion trouid occupy too much space, but it is possible to touch upon three of the points involved which show the inadequacy of Mr. Bennett's conception of the matter. For one thing, tlin contejition with which llr. Bennett starts, that (lie idc-u can only rsist in words and only in on« form oi words, so that all "jiolisiiius up" of the idea, is sound in so far as it reminds us I'liiit style does not mean importing into expression beauties gathered ab extra, but tiio evocation of beauties nlready Intent in the idea; but it leaves out of account entirely the important clement of rhythm. A cultivator of numerous prose —and nil good prose is numerous—may supersede a word by a synonym in order to eliminate a cacophony or to secure an alliteration or an assonance, or he may invert the order of two classes lo the advantage of the rhythm, and thus, without nlterin? one jot or tittle of the meanln» polish up the style. Similarly, it is paradox to say thai "you cannot have good matter, with bad style." Iho sentonce in its lax form was perfectly intelligible, but it. was inferior as style, while it is a familiar experience for a reader to receive the suggestion, of a fine idea from an imperfect utterance. Finally, it Iβ possible to read an author for Ins ityle without Boon "pettin? sick of him. ' Jn Hint caw tho reader, of course, takes the matter into account, not. however, for liift own sakn, but for the sake of tho opportunity it (,'ives him of watching how bis author brings into play all the re-

sources of his craft in handling it. "How many books," says Stevenson, "do . wo continue to peruse and roiioruso with pleasure whose only merit is tlio eleganco of texture? i am tempted to mention Cicero'; and since Air. Anthony Trollopo is dead, 1 wiil. It is a poor diet for the mind, a very colourless and toothless 'criticism of life'; but wo enjoy tho pleasure of a most 'intricate and dexterous pattern, every stitch a model of elegance and of Rood senso; and the two oranges, oven if one of them bo rotten, kept dancing with inimitable grace." Indeed, in Stevenson's essay "On Soino Technical moments of Style," with its conception of style* as pattern-wearing in language, we get nearer to the secret of tho mutter than wo do in Mr. Bennett.