Ornate language tended to unsettle him. Passages from…
““Ornate language tended to unsettle him. Passages from nineteenth-century novels might glow like hot coals or squirm like heaps of snakes. In fact, he tried not to read anything written before the First World War. Hemingway made a good cutoff point. Hemingway's sentences were a nice deep blue, and they mostly held still, like stalks of wheat on a windless day.(p18)””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Notes that ornate, pre‑WWI prose feels chaotic, preferring Hemingway’s clean, stable style as a literary benchmark.
In simple terms: Prefers simple, steady writing over complex, old‑fashioned language.
Key Takeaway
Choose clarity and restraint in writing.
Themes
literature
style
preference
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
critical
educational
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- literary criticism
- editing
Key Concepts
modernism
minimalism
historical taste
Questions to Reflect On
- When is ornate language effective?
- How does style affect reader engagement?
A Different Perspective
Simplicity may limit expressive depth.