The Emperor’s New Clothes: Literature, Literacy, and the Ideology of Style

by Kathryn T. Flannery

Since the Renaissance, what has been considered the "best" style of writing has always been connected with the dominant cultural agenda of the time. In "The Emperor's New Clothes", Kathryn Flannery offers a demystifying perspective on theorists who have argued for an essential distinction between "content" and "style", and focuses on the importance of understanding written prose style as a cultural asset. Flannery makes a strong case for the social significance of content and style and their relevance to a culture's practice of literacy. She tackles assumptions about authorship, the dangers of using gender as a category of analysis, and especially about the delicate relationship between university students and the institutions that keep them "in line" by monitoring their writing. An original contribution to the critical understanding of prose style, "The Emperor's New Clothes" is an informed argument in modern US debates about literacy in general and the teaching of composition in particular. Chapters specifically address the development of prose criticism, the evolution of English teaching, the history of Francis Bacon and Richard Hooker's writing, and a modern discourse on stylistics. The book should appeal to three different audiences - teachers of composition, of Renaissance literature, and of cultural studies - as well as generally educated readers concerned with broad questions about the history of education and its contemporary practices.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 1995