The Elements of Eloquence : Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase
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2.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
From classic poetry to pop lyrics, from Charles Dickens to Dolly Parton, even from Jesus to James Bond, Mark Forsyth explains the secrets that make a phrase—such as “O Captain! My Captain!” or “To be or not to be”—memorable.
In his inimitably entertaining and wonderfully witty style, he takes apart famous phrases and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or quip like Oscar Wilde. Whether you’re aiming to achieve literary immortality or just hoping to deliver the perfect one-liner, The Elements of Eloquence proves that you don’t need to have anything important to say—you simply need to say it well.
In an age unhealthily obsessed with the power of substance, this is a book that highlights the importance of style.
Customer Reviews
Hard. Pass.
This is just a giant string of quotes followed by rubbish. Shakespeare wasn’t a genius because he learned to write and got better at it as he did it, and because one hit wonders are geniuses? Neil Armstrongs famous quote “makes no sense” because of static or because he botched it? God uses English rhetoric... in a document originally written in Hebrew and Greek? This guy is self important and boring. He doesn’t have an original thought in this thing. He just says things he believes make him sound intelligent. I just can’t. I have multiple books in Apple Books by this author, but I don’t think I’m reading any of them. Poets don’t have great thoughts and no one cares what they think anyway was probably my last straw.