The Elements of Style | Essays and Criticism

  • Defending The Elements of Style

    Norvell is an independent educational writer who specializes in English and literature and who has done graduate work in religion. In this essay, Norvell defends The Elements of Style against the arguments of feminist and other critics

  • A Potentially Confusing Work

    Blevins’s is a poet and essayist who has taught at Hollins University, Sweet Briar College, and in the Virginia Community College system; Blevins’ first full-length collection of poems, The Brass Girl Brouhaha, is forthcoming from Ausable Press in September of 2003. In this essay, Blevins argues that The Elements of Style is potentially confusing because it sometimes confuses grammatical and mechanical competence with actual literary merit.

  • The Practicality of Using a Timeworn Guide

    DeFrees has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Texas and is a published writer and an editor. In the following essay, DeFrees discusses the practicality of using a timeworn guide to grammar and style in today’s literary environment.

  • E. B. Whitewashed?

    In the following essay, Plotnik traces both positive and negative critical response to The Elements of Style since its initial publication.