Writing

Easy Lessons in Arithmetic, combining exercises in reading, writing, spelling, and dictation. pt. 1

Writing and Tauromachy in A. L. Kennedy’s "On Bullfighting"

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, University of Frankfurt (Main) (Institut für England- und Amerikastudien), course: A. L. Kennedy Fiction, language: English, abstract: The coat of arms that is currently depicted on the Spanish flag may feature a lion as a heraldic animal, but during the past centuries of Iberian cultural history the taurine brute, especially the so-called Toro de Osborne (Brandes 780-781), has become the country’s unofficial, more popular and widely known trademark symbol (ibid.). This development is, of course, rooted in the nation’s continuous passion for the bullfight and along with the flamenco dance the custom performance of tauromachy remains a pillar of patriotic identity for many Spaniards. It comes as no surprise, then, that the corrida features heavily in a wide selection of publications of virtually all literary genres. Among the more recent works in this field, Alison Louise Kennedy’s On Bullfighting provides an introduction to the past and present of the tauromachy tradition and combines it with the Scottish novelist’s perspective on the act of literary composition as a non-fictional version of Kennedy narrates her progress in researching and writing about the corrida to the reader. The following pages explore how she establishes parallels between the routines, passions, and beliefs of the literary artist and the matador, respectively, and then uses them to underline how both are devoted to exerting and expanding a level of control in their approaches to life and work. For the writer, this is particularly relevant with regards to his or her handling of inspiration and its implementation in the written word and the paper therefore closes with remarks on whether or not On Bullfighting’s A. L. Kennedy succeeds in regaining her authoritative power over both aspects of her profession as she struggles through depression and a severe writer’s block connected to past emotional trauma.

Economical Writing, Third Edition

"The book every entrepreneur should read. . . . Better than Strunk and White. . . . The work of a master."--Stephen Kinsella, University of Limerick Economics is not a field that is known for good writing. Charts, yes. Sparkling prose, no. Except, that is, when it comes to Deirdre Nansen McCloskey. Her conversational and witty yet always clear style is a hallmark of her classic works of economic history, enlivening the dismal science and engaging readers well beyond the discipline. And now she’s here to share the secrets of how it’s done. Economical Writing is itself economical: a collection of thirty-five pithy rules for making your writing clear, concise, and effective. Proceeding from big-picture ideas to concrete strategies for improvement at the level of the paragraph, sentence, or word, McCloskey shows us that good writing, after all, is not just a matter of taste—it’s a product of adept intuition and a rigorous revision process. Debunking stale rules, warning us that “footnotes are nests for pedants,” and offering an arsenal of readily applicable tools and methods, she shows writers of all levels of experience how to rethink the way they approach their work, and gives them the knowledge to turn mediocre prose into magic. At once efficient and digestible, hilarious and provocative, Economical Writing lives up to its promise. With McCloskey as our guide, it’s impossible not to see how any piece of writing—on economics or any other subject—can be a pleasure to read.