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Article Information:
Title:
A litotes of what you fancy: some thoughts on Stanley Hollander's writing style
Author(s):
Stephen Brown
Journal:
Journal of Historical Research in Marketing
Year:
2009
Volume:
Issue:
Page:
74 - 92
DOI:
10.1108/17557500910941574
Publisher:
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Document Access:
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Abstract:
Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to investigate the writing style of Stanley C. Hollander, in order to better understand the power of his prose.
Design/methodology/approach – A line-by-line literary analysis of Hollander's publications, with a view to detecting his stylistic “signature” or “fingerprint”.
Findings – Four key elements are integral to Hollander's writing style – interrogatives, inventories, iconoclasm and irony. His single most characteristic literary device is litotes, a mode of ironic understatement.
Research limitations/implications – Literary analysis is inherently idiosyncratic and tends to reflect the perspective of the interpreter. Another analyst is sure to find different features in Hollander's corpus (though this is less a methodological shortcoming than a testament to the richness of Hollander's writings).
Originality/value – All academics are writers and, by better understanding the technique of a much admired stylist, everyone's publications can be improved.
Keywords:
Creative writing,
Historical research,
Literary forms
Article Type:
Literature review
References:
Article URL:
www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/17557500910941574