Simple and direct a rhetoric for writers pdf jacques barzun offers 20 principles for good writing in simple and direct. Jacques barzun was the author of some thirty books of biography, history, and cultural criticism, among them the bestsellers the house of intellect, an indictment of governmental and foundation interference with the autonomy of scholars and universities, and from dawn to decadence, an argument that the west was falling into decay and. Jacques barzun died two weeks ago, on october 25, at age 104. Professor barzun wishes any scholar requesting access to write him a letter describing the nature of his or her project. Jacques martin barzun november 30, 1907 october 25, 2012 was a frenchborn american historian. Lecture delivered at peninsula college exploring the life and thought of the prolific critic and historian jacques. Zalerts allow you to be notified by email about the availability of new books according to your search query. Jacques barzun is an author with three videos in the cspan video library.
Have a point and make it by means of the best word. With subjects ranging from history to baseball to crime novels, a jacques barzun reader is a feast for any reader. Mar 28, 2019 jacques barzun offers 20 principles for good writing in simple and direct. Jacques barzun american teacher, historian, and author. From dawn to decadence 500 years of western cultural life 1500 to the present jacques barzun ha harpercollinszsrers. Jacques barzun has set down his view of the best ways to improve ones style. Exercises, model passages both literary and unorthodox and hundreds.
Painting of barzun titled with light from a new dawn, 1947. Jacques martin barzun was born in creteil, france, to henrimartin and annarose barzun, and spent his childhood in paris and grenoble. The new york times described him as the distinguished historian, essayist, cultural gadfly and educator who helped establish the modern discipline of cultural history and came to see the west as sliding toward decadence mr. He wrote about a wide range of subjects, including baseball, mystery novels, and classical music, and was also known as a philosopher of education. Barzun was a man of boundless curiosity, monumental. A rhetoric for writers jacques barzun after a lifetime of writing and editing prose, jacques barzun has set down his view of the best ways to improve ones style.
If you depart from the conventions, you run the risk of not being taken. After a lifetime of writing and editing prose, jacques barzun has. Focusing on ideas and culture, he wrote about a wide range of subjects, including baseball and classical music, and is best known as a philosopher of education. This pioneering website by leo wong has continued posting new material beyond barzun s centenary year. Enjoy the best jacques barzun quotes and picture quotes. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Simple direct available for download and read online in other formats. Jacques barzun, historian and critic, well known not only as a scholar but as a fluent and pleasing writer, has had vast experience in editing and improving the. A fter a lifetime of writing and editing prose, jacques barzun has set down his view of the best ways to. Jacques barzun 19072012 was a frenchborn american teacher, historian, and author who influenced higher education in the united states by his insistence that undergraduates avoid early specialization and instead be given broad instruction in the humanities.
Readers must use microfilm of materials specified above. Jacques barzun, who has died aged 104, was a scholar of encyclopedic knowledge allied to a determination to maintain high standards in any of. I taught newswriting as an adjunct in the journalism department of a state university for a couple of years, and barzun s simple and direct was on a list of books and essays i strongly recommended to all my students. Jacques barzun 1907 historian columbia college 1927, phd 1932 faculty 193275 in more than half a century of service to columbia and three decades since, jacques barzun has epitomized the potential of liberal education within the university and without. Make sure you know not only the meaning but also the bearing of the words you use. Jacques barzuns 20 principles for simple and direct writing. Jacques barzun continued to write on education and cultural history after retiring from columbia. At 84 years of age, he began writing his sidebar containing a pithy quotation, usually little known, and often surprising or humorous, from some author or historical figure. Its archive, from october 2005 to the present, is a treasure trove and a delight to peruse, with surprises of both word and image at every turn. The great teacher, cultural historian and social critic jacques barzun died yesterday october 25, 2012 at the age of 104. Jacques barzun, frenchborn american teacher, historian, and author who influenced higher education in the united states by his insistence that undergraduates avoid early specialization and instead be given broad instruction in the humanities.
Long associated with columbia university, he was the author of numerous books ranging widely over art, education, and culture. Jacques barzun is currently considered a single author. Jacques barzun, born november 30, 1907, creteil, francedied october 25, 2012, san antonio, texas, frenchborn american teacher, historian, and author who influenced higher education in the united states by his insistence that undergraduates avoid early specialization and instead be given broad instruction in the humanities. The frenchborn barzuns father, henrimartin barzun, was a civil servant in the french ministry of labor, but the elder barzun was also a writer and many prominent authors and artists visited the family home. The new york times described him as the distinguished historian, essayist, cultural gadfly and educator who helped establish the modern discipline of cultural history and came to see the west as sliding toward decadence. Most of these books assume a collegeeducated audience. Aug 05, 2019 jacques barzun offers 20 principles for good writing in simple and direct. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of the author, isbn or anything else. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Now michael murray has carefully selected eighty of barzun s most inventive, accomplished, and insightful essays, and compiled them in one impressive volume. Dec 18, 2001 a fter a lifetime of writing and editing prose, jacques barzun has set down his view of the best ways to improve ones style. Jacques barzun offers 20 principles for good writing in simple and direct.
Resources on writing well pablos miscellany pablo stafforini. Jacques barzun project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. This pioneering website by leo wong has continued posting new material beyond barzuns centenary year. Dont use complex language or jargon when simple words will make. Among historians, writing conventionswhich are neither laws nor strict rules, but rather simply customary practicesare important.
Barzun then added, i have strewn the byways with my victims. Publication date 1944 topics iiit collection digitallibraryindia. In the book teacher in america 1945, barzun influenced the. He was a history professor at columbia university and, later, dean of faculties and provost. A fter a lifetime of writing and editing prose, jacques barzun has set down his view of the best ways to improve ones style. November 30, 1907 october 25, 2012 was a frenchamerican historian known for his studies of the history of ideas and cultural history. It is rare for any book to hold my attention so strongly, but for a book on writing to do so is extraordinary. Oct 29, 2012 jacques barzun, who has died aged 104, was a scholar of encyclopedic knowledge allied to a determination to maintain high standards in any of the fields his work touched on. In chapters on diction, syntax, tone, meaning, composition, and revision, barzun describes and prescribes. Sourced quotations by the american historian jacques barzun 1907 2012 about shaw, art and mind. Sep 05, 2019 jacques barzun offers 20 principles for good writing in simple and direct. I feel somewhat abashed giving a book by the superb jacques barzun only two stars, but according to the authoritative site goodreads or goodreads as it wants to be known on its own page, two stars equates to it was okay, and since simple and direct was okay, two stars it gets. Go to the editions section to read or download ebooks.
His discussions of diction, syntax, tone, meaning, composition, and revision guide the reader through the technique of making the written word clear and agreeable to read. For a while there, it seemed that barzunrhymes approximately with parsonmight go on forever, adding to our knowledge of the past, assailing the decline of standards, both exemplifying and fighting for cultured, civilized values. In chapters on diction, syntax, tone, meaning, composition, and revision, barzun describes and prescribes the techniques to correct even the most ponderous style. Richard marius and melvin page, a short guide to writing. Jacques barzun was born in france in 1907 and emigrated to the united states in 1920. Only a book that is simple and direct could have done so, attesting that barzun writes on a complex subject in a style that is the epitome of the intent of his book. Now michael murray has carefully selected eighty of barzuns most inventive, accomplished, and insightful essays, and compiled them in one impressive volume.
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