On the Art of Writing

"The art of writing is a living business," declares Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch in the Preface to this classic. "Literature is not a mere science, to be studied; but an art, to be practiced. Great as is our own literature, we must consider it as a legacy to be improved . . . if we persist in striving to write well, we can easily resign to other nations all the secondary fame."


Renowned as a critic, teacher, and educational reformer, Quiller-Couch delivered a series of lectures at the University of Cambridge in 1913-14. His subjects--the artistic and vital nature of language as well as the skills needed to convey and receive the written word--remain as timeless as his advice. This book contains the eminent scholar's remarks from those lectures on the practice of writing, the difference between verse and prose, the use of jargon, the history of English literature, the ways in which English literature is taught at the university, and the importance of style. The principles and practical guidelines he sets forth in this volume offer aspiring writers an enduring source of guidance.