unit 8
Author’s Style and Voice
Text
Analysis
Workshop
Jane Austen, Edgar Allan Poe, and Maya Angelou—why do works by authors such
as these continue to captivate generations of readers? Not only have these authors
crafted compelling stories, but they have expressed themselves in such individual,
memorable ways. Austen’s witty observations of society, Poe’s dark tales of terror,
and Angelou’s deeply personal anecdotes all leave lasting impressions largely
because of each author’s distinctive style.
Part 1: Style in Literature
Included in this workshop:
RL 4 Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as they
are used in a text; analyze the
cumulative impact of specific
word choices on meaning
and tone.
Style refers to the way a work of literature is written—not what is said, but
how it is said. The “how” depends on many elements, including a writer’s tone,
sentence structures, and language. In the first example shown, notice how
Ernest Hemingway’s direct, journalistic style results from his use of simple
words and sentences, among other elements.
Distinctive styles extend beyond individual writers, however. Sometimes
writing produced during a particular time period, such as 19th-century England,
has a recognizable style, as you’ll notice in the second example.
style of an individual
style of a time period
Ernest Hemingway
Victorian England
Hemingway, who wrote during the
20th century, is known for his
simple style. He avoided flowery
language in favor of no-frills
storytelling and short sentences.
Much of the writing produced
in 19th-century England has
an elaborate, formal style.
Sentences are complex, and
the vocabulary is sophisticated.
Example
“Don’t talk about the war,” I said. The war was a
long way away. Maybe there wasn’t any war. There
was no war here. Then I realized it was over for me.
But I did not have the feeling that it was really over.
Example
Anyone who had looked at him as the red light
shone upon his pale face, strange straining eyes, and
meager form, would perhaps have understood the
mixture of contemptuous pity, dread, and suspicion
with which he was regarded by his neighbors. . . .
—from A Farewell to Arms
—from Silas Marner by George Eliot
Characteristics of Hemingway’s Style
Characteristics of Victorian Style
• everyday words and sparse details
• elevated language and vivid imagery
• simple sentence structures
• complex sentence structures
• informal tone
• formal tone
• matter-of-fact descriptions of characters’ feelings
• involved focus on the narrator’s and characters’
observations and thoughts
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unit 8: author’s style and voice
model 1: style of an individual
Now that you have learned the characteristics of Hemingway’s style and
have read a passage from A Farewell to Arms, examine this excerpt from
one of his short stories.
from
Big Two-Hearted River
Short story by Ernest Hemingway
5
Nick was hungry. He did not believe he had ever been hungrier. He opened
and emptied a can of pork and beans and a can of spaghetti into the frying pan.
“I’ve got a right to eat this kind of stuff, if I’m willing to carry it,” Nick said.
His voice sounded strange in the darkening woods. He did not speak again.
He started a fire with some chunks of pine he got with the ax from a
stump. Over the fire he stuck a wire grill, pushing the four legs down into the
ground with his boot. Nick put the frying pan on the grill over the flames. He
was hungrier. The beans and spaghetti warmed. Nick stirred them and mixed
them together.
Close Read
1. Identify two
characteristics of
Hemingway’s style
that are evident in the
boxed text.
2. Compare the excerpt
from A Farewell to Arms
with this one. What is
the most striking stylistic
similarity between
them? Explain.
model 2: style of a time period
Like George Eliot, Emily Brontë wrote in the sophisticated, ornate style
that characterizes 19th-century English literature. In this excerpt from one
of Brontë’s novels, the narrator visits the estate of his landlord, Heathcliff.
from
Wuthering Heights
Novel by Emily Brontë
5
10
Yesterday afternoon set in misty and cold. I had half a mind to spend it
by my study fire, instead of wading through heath and mud to Wuthering
Heights. On coming up from dinner, however, (N.B.1—I dine between twelve
and one o’clock; the housekeeper, a matronly lady, taken as a fixture along with
the house, could not, or would not, comprehend my request that I might be
served at five)—on mounting the stairs with this lazy intention, and stepping
into the room, I saw a servant-girl on her knees surrounded by brushes and
coal-scuttles, and raising an infernal dust as she extinguished the flames with
heaps of cinders. This spectacle drove me back immediately; I took my hat,
and, after a four-miles’ walk, arrived at Heathcliff ’s garden-gate just in time to
escape the first feathery flakes of a snow-shower.
Close Read
1. In what ways do
Brontë’s sentences—
especially the one in
the box —differ from
Hemingway’s?
2. Identify two stylistic
similarities between
Brontë’s writing here
and Eliot’s writing in the
excerpt from Silas Marner
on the preceding page.
1. N.B.: an abbreviation of the Latin nota bene, “take notice.”
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Part 2: Style and Voice
You’ve started to consider how elements such as sentence structure and word
choice help to create style. A closer look at the unique blend of three other key
elements—diction, tone, and imagery—will help you to compare writing styles.
You will also grasp how these elements contribute to a writer’s or narrator’s
voice—the personality that comes across on the page.
Here, notice how diction, tone, and imagery help to distinguish Nathaniel
Hawthorne’s formal, ornate style from Gloria Naylor’s playfully informal one.
comparing styles
She had dark and abundant
hair, so glossy that it threw
off the sunshine with a
gleam, and a face which,
besides being beautiful
from regularity of feature
and richness of complexion,
had the impressiveness
belonging to a marked
brow and deep black eyes.
—from The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
She loaded that baby down
with every name in the
book: Charles Somebody
Harrison SomebodyElse Duvall. We called
him Chick. That’s what
he looked like, toddling
around: little pecan head
sitting on a scrawny neck,
two bright buttons for eyes, and a feathery
mess of hair she couldn’t keep slicked down
for nothing.
—from Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
diction
Diction includes both a writer’s choice of words and his or her syntax, or
arrangement of words into sentences. Hawthorne’s formal style comes from his use
of elevated vocabulary (“abundant hair”), complex phrases (“richness of complexion”
rather than “great skin”), and long sentences. In contrast, Naylor’s use of informal
language, such as “slicked down for nothing,” creates a conversational style.
tone
Tone is a writer’s attitude toward a subject, as expressed through choice of
words and details. Naylor establishes a playful tone in her description of Chick’s
real name: “Charles Somebody Harrison Somebody-Else Duvall.” Naylor’s tone
also helps readers to “hear” the no-nonsense voice of the narrator. Hawthorne’s
elegant diction, however, conveys a formal tone and style.
imagery
You already know that imagery consists of words and phrases that re-create
sensory experiences for readers. “Abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the
sunshine with a gleam” and “little pecan head”—image-laden descriptions
like these are signatures of both Hawthorne’s and Naylor’s styles. The kinds of
images the writers include, though, dramatically set their styles apart.
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unit 8: author’s style and voice
Text Analysis Workshop
model 1: elements of style
Jamaica Kincaid’s writing is rich with images that evoke the settings she
describes. In this excerpt from one of Kincaid’s novels, the narrator is
leaving her home on the island of Antigua. As she rides a launch to her
ship, she is overcome with emotion.
from
from Annie John
Novel by Jamaica Kincaid
5
10
. . . My heart shriveled up and the words “I shall never see this again”
stabbed at me. I don’t know what stopped me from falling in a heap at my
parents’ feet.
When we were all on board, the launch headed out to sea. Away from the
jetty, the water became the customary blue, and the launch left a wide path in
it that looked like a road. I passed by sounds and smells that were so familiar
that I had long ago stopped paying any attention to them. But now here they
were, and the ever-present “I shall never see this again” bobbed up and down
inside me. There was the sound of the seagull diving down into the water and
coming up with something silverish in its mouth. There was the smell of the
sea and the sight of small pieces of rubbish floating around in it.
Close Read
1. Identify two images that
allow you to visualize the
setting.
2. Reread the boxed details,
noting such words as
stabbed and bobbed.
What does Kincaid’s
unique diction tell you
about the narrator?
3. Would you describe
Kincaid’s tone as
sympathetic or harsh?
Explain your answer.
model 2: elements of style
Here, David Copperfield, the narrator of Charles Dickens’s classic novel,
reflects on an exciting time in his childhood—when he was preparing to
leave his home. As you read, pay attention to the stylistic elements that
help distinguish Dickens’s writing from Kincaid’s.
from
David Copperfield
Novel by Charles Dickens
5
The day soon came for our going. It was such an early day that it came
soon, even to me, who was in a fever of expectation, and half afraid that an
earthquake or a fiery mountain, or some other great convulsion of nature,
might interpose to stop the expedition. We were to go in a carrier’s cart, which
departed in the morning after breakfast. I would have given any money to have
been allowed to wrap myself up overnight, and sleep in my hat and boots.
It touches me nearly now, although I tell it lightly, to recollect how eager I
was to leave my happy home; to think how little I suspected what I did leave
for ever.
Close Read
1. Consider Dickens’s
formal, dramatic diction,
particularly evident in the
boxed phrases. Through
this stylistic element,
what do you learn about
young David?
2. What is the greatest
difference between
Kincaid’s and Dickens’s
styles? Explain.
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Part 3: Analyze the Text
Apply what you now know about style as you analyze these two excerpts.
Each describes a connection between three people, one of whom will end up
disappointed and unlucky in love.
This excerpt is taken from Jane Austen’s novel Emma. Austen, who wrote
during the early 19th century, is known for her ironic, amused observations of
middle-class society in England. Here, Emma bemoans her foiled attempt to
pair the sought-after Mr. Elton with her friend Harriet. Mr. Elton has fallen for
Emma instead.
from
Emma
Novel by Jane Austen
5
10
15
854
The hair was curled, and the maid sent away, and Emma sat down to think
and be miserable.—It was a wretched business, indeed!—Such an overthrow
of every thing she had been wishing for!—Such a development of every thing
most unwelcome!—Such a blow for Harriet!—That was the worst of all. Every
part of it brought pain and humiliation, of some sort or other; but, compared
with the evil to Harriet, all was light; and she would gladly have submitted to
feel yet more mistaken—more in error—more disgraced by mis-judgment, than
she actually was, could the effects of her blunders have been confined to herself.
“If I had not persuaded Harriet into liking the man, I could have born any
thing. He might have doubled his presumption to me—But poor Harriet!”
How she could have been so deceived!—He protested that he had never
thought seriously of Harriet—never! She looked back as well as she could; but
it was all confusion. She had taken up the idea, she supposed, and made every
thing bend to it. His manners, however, must have been unmarked, wavering,
dubious, or she could not have been so misled.
unit 8: author’s style and voice
Close Read
1. Consider the tone
Austen uses to describe
Emma’s predicament. Is
it mocking or serious?
Support your answer.
2. Describe Austen’s
diction, citing details in
the boxed text. What
does her diction help to
emphasize about Emma’s
current state of mind?
3. Austen’s use of dashes
and exclamation points
helps to suggest Emma’s
personality and manner.
What does this stylistic
element tell you about the
kind of person Emma is?
Text Analysis Workshop
F. Scott Fitzgerald lived and wrote more than a century after Austen. Like
Austen, he was a keen observer and recorder of society’s manners and
constraints. Though the authors explored similar subjects, their writing
styles differed dramatically. As you read this excerpt from a short story by
Fitzgerald, notice the stylistic elements that help to create this difference.
from
bernice bobs
her hair
Short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5
10
15
20
Warren, who had grown up across the street from Marjorie, had long been
“crazy about her.” Sometimes she seemed to reciprocate his feeling with a faint
gratitude, but she had tried him by her infallible test and informed him gravely
that she did not love him. Her test was that when she was away from him she
forgot him and had affairs with other boys. Warren found this discouraging,
especially as Marjorie had been making little trips all summer, and for the
first two or three days after each arrival home he saw great heaps of mail on
the Harveys’ hall table addressed to her in various masculine handwritings. To
make matters worse, all during the month of August she had been visited by her
cousin Bernice from Eau Claire, and it seemed impossible to see her alone. It
was always necessary to hunt round and find some one to take care of Bernice.
As August waned this was becoming more and more difficult.
Much as Warren worshiped Marjorie, he had to admit that Cousin Bernice
was sorta dopeless. She was pretty, with dark hair and high color, but she was no
fun on a party. Every Saturday night he danced a long arduous duty dance with
her to please Marjorie, but he had never been anything but bored in her company.
“Warren”—a soft voice at his elbow broke in upon his thoughts, and he
turned to see Marjorie, flushed and radiant as usual. She laid a hand on his
shoulder and a glow settled almost imperceptibly over him.
“Warren,” she whispered, “do something for me—dance with Bernice. She’s
been stuck with little Otis Ormonde for almost an hour.”
Warren’s glow faded.
“Why—sure,” he answered half-heartedly.
Close Read
1. Reread lines 1–8. In
your opinion, is the
writer’s tone mocking or
sympathetic toward the
emotions and attitudes
of young people in (and
out of) love?
2. Through the boxed image,
Fitzgerald helps readers
to understand Warren’s
feeling of disappointment.
Identify two more images.
3. Describe Fitzgerald’s
style, explaining whether
you see any similarities
between his writing and
Austen’s.
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