The Forms of Discourse; With an Introductory Chapter on Style (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1909 Excerpt: ... difference between cant, or those questionable expressions that have definite, permanent meanings, and the slang of the street that comes and goes with every change of season. The baseball, insurance, or marine columns of any paper would often be ludicrously pedantic if they avoided every term that would be out of place in a polite essay; but even when treating subjects of this kind a writer should feel that he is taking a liberty whenever he uses a term not approved by conservative authorities. Narration With Plot Meaning of the word "plot." The word "plot" has been defined, broadly, as the choice and arrangement of occurrences in such a way that all parts of the narrative work toward and center in a final outcome or culmination. A simple narrative--i.e. a narrative with but one line of events--may be said to have a plot when occurrences are so arranged as to arouse and sustain curiosity as to the outcome. In complex narratives, such as novels, most histories, etc., the plot may be compared, as the derivation of the word indicates, to a knot which is tied and drawn hard, and then cut or untied at the end. If the fortunes of each character be compared to a thread, it will be readily seen how these threads cross and entwine with one another; how some of them will become lost in the tangle only to reappear in an unexpected position several chapters later; and how, in most plots, such threads as remain at the end run smoothly and parallel. In history the threads may represent, not persons, but nations, political parties, or departments of national life. Unfortunately, there is no word of English origin that exactly denotes the ending of a plot. The words "climax," "culmination," etc., which are often used, are likely to be misleading. The French term denouemen...