The Elements of Style
My artifact is a rather meaningful document to me. One of my favorite high school teachers recommended I buy a copy of this style guide when he noticed my interest in grammar and editing. In summary, The Elements of Style is a famous and widely recognized style guide for American English writing. William Strunk Jr. during his time teaching at Cornell privately published the first edition. E.B. White, one of his former students as well as the author of the renowned children’s novel Charlotte’s Web, revised his former mentor’s guide.
What makes this artifact so useful is that it doesn't try to cover every single aspect of editing and style. It instead provides examples and brief rules for the basic principles of writing. Not only is it famous for its convenience, usefulness, and small, pocket-size form, but also for its snarky, command-like tone throughout its pages. I took it upon myself to analyze how The Elements of Style promotes inclusion as well as how it does the opposite.
Due to the fact that many writers and editors adhere to its principles, or at least recognize it as an authoratative document, it has the potential to create rigidity and even oppression. Blewett et al. (2019) speaks a lot about how commonly referenced citations create an informational hierarchy, and when authors cite the same sources over and over, it limits the power of knowledge-making as well as oppresses underrepresented scholars. The same logic can be applied to style guides.
If every editor were to adhere to the rules of The Elements of Style, the lack of diversity in writing styles would result in dull, static reading all around. It would also stifle diverse authors’ voices who do not adhere to conventional principles of standard American English. For example, Daniell (2012) writes that literacy means choice, which includes using non standard English to enhance the rhetorical value of text. A concrete example is the use of African-American vernacular English in writing. Specifically in The Elements of Style, several of the rules include: “Use orthodox spelling,” “ Do not use dialect unless your ear is good,” and “ Prefer the standard to the offbeat.” Editors could interpret these rules to exclude African-American vernacular English, which carries cultural and rhetorical value in a variety of contexts.
In some cases, a single style guide is a goal that editors strive to create and that companies strive to have all their writers adhere to (Lehrner-Mayer, 2013). Yet to reach such a goal, there needs to be multiple voices collaborating on the updates of a style guide to keep it relevant and convenient for those using it. For example, Lehrner-Mayer’s style guide includes basic rules of American English to cater to her international colleagues. Even though the idea of one style guide is oppressive, the style guide is a dynamic document with many contributors in this particular context. In comparison with The Elements of Style, neither Strunk White Jr. nor E.B. White can be the single two authoritative voices for American English writing standards. They cannot take into account the rhetorical value of the speech and writing habits of non white, non male, and non American authors.
There are, however, some rules in The Elements of Style that promote inclusivity. The most important of these rules is: “Avoid fancy words.” In essence, this rule promotes the usage of plain language rather than using words readers will not understand, which would serve only to obscure the message and exclude some groups.This is particularly applicable to the field of technical writing, where obscure or technical language can limit readers’ comprehension. This obscurity intentionally and unintentionally can serve to exclude nonexperts.