Overview

Mark Forsyth, author of two bestselling books on words, The Etymologicon and The Horologicon, has, at last, discovered the secret of great writing. In The Elements of Eloquence Forsyth diligently studies the techniques of writers as diverse as Dante, Shakespeare, Hemingway and Prince with hints from Star Wars, advertising copy, the Bible and political soundbites, as he tries to write what must be the finest piece of prose ever committed to paper. From King Lear's Howl, howl, howl to Channel 4's location location location (via Tennyson and Tony Blair). From Crisis? What Crisis? to Bond, James Bond. And from God creating Heaven and earth to Guy Ritchie creating Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels: join Mark with the Muses on the summit of Mount Parnassus as he tinkers wildly with zeugma, merism, syllepsis and the iambic pentameter in an eccentric (and ultimately successful) attempt to write the perfect three sentences. Characteristically witty, delightfully obscure and annoyingly erudite, Forsyth's new book does for literary and poetic style what his Number One bestseller The Etymologicon did for everyday words.

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9781848316218

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'Sparkling ... the book offers many pleasures ... I laughed out loud at the examples chosen' -- Charles Moore Daily Telegraph

Author Information

Mark Forsyth is a blogger and author whose books have made him one of the UK's best-known commentators on words. His book The Etymologicon was a Sunday Times Number One bestseller and was followed by the similarly successful The Horologicon. Follow Mark on Twitter @inkyfool

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