Posted by Conveying complex ideas to a broader audience is not a simple task. Different times have influenced writing styles and caused massive changes. While there’s not an objective measure of a “good” style, its purpose seems to shift from the simplicity and focus on the reader towards filler content and unnecessary descriptions for marketing purposes. The old school, classic style retains only the most necessary elements in an attempt to highlight the writer’s true capabilities.
Classic Style 101: Everything You Need to Know
Even though it’s quite easy to learn, the old school style demands a lot of time, practice, and research to master. The writer tries to place the focus on the main subject as much as possible so that the reader can acquire that same viewpoint. It’s almost like a conversation between the two parties, more so than a general description of events. The begging of a sentence makes its ending easily predictable, helping the reader see “through” the text which adds to its clarity.
The truth and the facts that you want to state when writing are very simple, straightforward – but they might not seem that way once they’re on paper. Classic writing requires a lot of imagery and depiction of the scene, some common ground that anyone reading can identify with. However, all of these descriptions are contained in just the right amount so as to not be considered overwhelming. As a result, this style is widely used by journalists and novelists, but it’s also ideal for academic purposes.
Since it mimics a conversation, essays of this type are free of any elements that don’t appear in conversations, such as metadiscourse. This commentary on the text would ruin the flow and essentially break one of the major rules of classic writing. Classic style avoids cliches and minimizes overdoing of qualifying adverbs. The language used in this style is clear, concise, and easy to read – but it does require a lot of planning for proper implementation.
How Can It Help You Succeed?
Steven Pinker, a well-known psycholinguist and science writer, says in his “The Sense of Style” book that “classic style is an ideal model of communication for academic and expository writing.” This is because the writer is usually trying to explain and describe something to a reader – something that he has seen and wants to set the spotlight for. Some of these characteristics require a lot of assumptions about the reader, mainly that he is equal and that he is capable of seeing things in the exact same way that the writer sees them.
Another major benefit is that the thinking process isn’t included in the text itself. It doesn’t require any prior context since all the necessities are right in front of the reader. A good essay contains evidence and reasoning, which is directly connected with the truth aspect of classic style writing. As Turner and Thomas state in their book, the classic style provides the student noteworthy pleasure since it is flattering to the writer, flattering to the reader, and intellectually collusive.
While it’s not well suited for all purposes, the classic style is recommended for writers who aren’t very experienced in communicating their thoughts to wider audiences. This is yet another reason why it works so well with essays, as it makes them appear well organized and coherent. Classic style avoids irrelevant details, uses clear language and gets straight to the point to help you achieve that perfect structure.
All of the aforementioned attributes can seem quite overwhelming, and a beginner might find them difficult to implement. The true power of an old school style essay can only be brought out with the help of skilled professionals, the likes of those at Essay Expert paper writing service. Having someone to give you proper guidelines is especially important when you’re starting out.
The Wrap-Up
Don’t be fooled by its name – the classic style has a lot of elements that helped it stay so popular even with its age. Its academic use is unprecedented, and it appears quite natural once learned. Classic style is not a fool-proof method for a flawless essay, especially without prior experience. But when used correctly and with the help of an expert, it can hardly be surpassed by any other more “popular” or modern writing style.
