What Others are Saying

I think Marisa raised some interesting points in her reflection upon Strunk & White and Williams. Here is the passage that caught my attention:

"Besides touching similar subjects, these two books were very different from one another. While Strunk and White just stated the rules and gave examples more or less, Williams' took the time to explain each rule in depth. This was useful because it gave me understanding on why I should do it that way instead of memorizing it and just doing the rule. On the other hand, I felt that Stunk's rules were more relevant. I felt I took more from his book on writing than I did Williams'. I may not understand why I had to do those rules but I got clear cut ways of writing."

I agree with Marisa's basic assessment of the two books. The Elements of Style is pretty bare-bones. It gives the rule, a few examples and moves on. Williams gives pages of explanation and examples for each of his rules, and this gives a more comprehensive of the issue in question.

I agree that Strunk & White's rules were relevant. Even though some may consider the book out-dated or ineffective, I found a lot of practical advice in The Elements of Style. In many of the sections, I found tips that I could easily use to immediately improve my writing.

But I would not say that Strunk & White is necessarily more relevant. While I felt like Williams was more of a chore to get through than a learning experience, he has a lot of very good information. I think that more-experienced writers will already have a pretty good grasp of a lot of these principles, but for inexperienced writers, Williams will be very relevant in forming a solid foundation. I think that following Williams' principles will help to instill the sense of flow and logical construction that is present in an experienced writer's style.

Because Williams gets down to the absolute-basics of writing, many writers will find themselves in familiar, well-worn territory. If reading Williams feels like rehashing a lot of old news, then it probably won't seem relevant. But I do think that even the most experienced writer can always improve, and it never hurts to solidify your foundations. A study of Williams, while possibly tedious, can help to strengthen a solid foundation, and give a broader, deeper understanding of how the English language is constructed.