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.
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“We can all agree that true eloquence is irresistible, but how do we achieve it in this shoddy age of hashtags and acronyms? This new book…dares to answer that question and he does it in the most entertaining ways, summonsing up examples from everyone from ancient orators and Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde and Dolly Parton.”
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Barnes & Noble, editorial review
About Mark Forsyth
Mark Forsyth is a writer, journalist, proofreader, ghostwriter,
and pedant. He was given a copy of the Oxford English Dictionary as a
christening present and has never looked back. Forsyth is the creator of The Inky Fool, a blog about words,
phrases, grammar, rhetoric, and prose. He lives in the United Kingdom.
About Don Hagen
Don Hagen has been behind the microphone since fifth grade. He is a nine-time winner of the Peer Award for narration/voice-over and twice winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award. He has also been heard in radio and television commercials and documentaries. In addition to his freelance voice work, he is a member of the audiobook narration team at the Library of Congress.