The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth

He even hyperlinked the last word (okay, word and number) back to the first chapter! Circular!Recommended. And I don't know what the term would be, or of there even is one, for the opposite of cliffhanger, but Forsyth mastered it, ending each chapter with a tie to the next chapter. Forsyth says 'This isn't a dictionary of rhetoric, nor was it meant to be.' and yes, it is much more than a dictionary. That is the one and only difference between the poet and everybody else.he got my attention!Packed with information, wonderfully expounded, reinforced with classic examples and peppered saltily with wit, this is a great resource. A poet is somebody who expresses his thoughts, however commonplace they may be, exquisitely.

That is the menial duty of the philosopher. A poet is not somebody who has great thoughts. Rather than being taught about how a poem is phrased, schoolchildren are asked to write essays on what William Blake thought about the Tiger despite the fact that William Blake was a nutjob whose opinions, in a civilised society, would be of no interest to anybody apart from his parole officer. When he opened withEnglish teaching at school is, unfortunately, obsessed with what a poet thought, as though that were of any interest to anyone.

What a delightful book! Forsyth dove (dived?) deep into the obscurities of rhetoric to enlighten this reader on the many many technical terms for the phrases, forms, devices, maneuvers (okay.I channeled Eddie Izzard on that one), figures, terms, etc.

The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth