In my attempt to learn more about the language of Swift, I completed more research on him and his thoughts on language. In A History of the English Language Fifth Edition, Baugh & Cable tell us that during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries there was a “need for standardization” and that Swift was a large part of the movement (257). Swift was considered conservative in that he did not support change or originality in language (258). In other words, Swift wanted to maintain the language with little to no evolution. This is problematic for me as I am having difficulty finding the order in which Swift would have written. That is, how do I write as Swift would write?
I cannot merely mimic Swift’s storyline. I have to find a way to bring Swift’s tone and balance into my writing. This is difficult for me as I do not think as Swift did – I whole heartedly believe in change and the fluidity of language.
Shit.
No comments:
Post a Comment