Speaking for Howells: Charting the Dean's Career Through the Language of His Characters
Author: Gregory J. Stratman
List Price: $50.00
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ISBN: 0761820132
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield (Non NBN) (15 January, 2002)
Average Customer Rating: 5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
At Last! A study of literature with some warmth in it!
This book is a must-have for those who are fascinated by the English language and dialects. Apart from sharing with the reader an overview of the interesting shift of Howells' writing style (and introducing a respectable body of works), Stratman has cleverly delved into the intriguing use of the dialects Howells utilized for his many characters. We are even privy to somewhat of a philosophy as to the nature of "real language" that comes from "...the Sounds from the mouths of men...". I couldn't agree more. What's more, the book was written with warmth and humor and was not at all dry and [so] unlike most literary studies I have found. Kudos to Stratman for addressing a fascinating branch of our language...effective expression in simple and real dialects used by real human beings without fancy hyperbole. Stratman has painted a picture of the germination (perhaps) of the southern writers and their simplistic and reality-based style. The research and references the author used for this book are impressive and painlessly interspersed throughout the text. It read more like a novel than an annotated study with tedious, bothersome references getting in the way. I highly recommend this book to any fellow "language freaks" out there, and hope this author puts more pen to paper and shares more of his flowing writing style with us!
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