On style as a mirror of character
114:15
Book Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Book Description: The final volume of Seneca's moral letters. Common Stoic themes emerge again and again: the unreliability of fortune, the ability to form Stoic resolve, and the importance of virtue.
15.
Let us now turn to the arrangement of words.
In this department, what countless varieties of fault I can show you!
Some are all for abruptness and unevenness of style, purposely disarranging anything which seems to have a smooth flow of language.
They would have jolts in all their transitions; they regard as strong and manly whatever makes an uneven impression on the ear.
With some others it is not so much an “arrangement” of words as it is a setting to music; so wheedling and soft is their gliding style.
Book: Moral Letters Vol III
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On style as a mirror of character
Location: Chapter 114, Section 15
Content:
15.
Let us now turn to the arrangement of words.
In this department, what countless varieties of fault I can show you!
Some are all for abruptness and unevenness of style, purposely disarranging anything which seems to have a smooth flow of language.
They would have jolts in all their transitions; they regard as strong and manly whatever makes an uneven impression on the ear.
With some others it is not so much an “arrangement” of words as it is a setting to music; so wheedling and soft is their gliding style.