Mike,
   I'm not familiar with Lanham's book, but very familiar with Williams. 
His book would also have the benefit of being cheap. You're right--this 
is exactly the kind of discussion I would love to have in the course, 
not just a single point-of-view, but an open exploration of the role of 
language in the making of meaning, of the value of conscious awareness, 
and of the value of different kinds of approaches to language, even 
different kinds of prescriptivism. Do English teachers tend to give 
advice that doesn't hold in other disciplines? The passive might be a 
good example. Nominalization would be another.
    I like the term "construal" when exploring whether two expressions 
are equivalent. "Ideas" can be limiting.

Craig

R. Michael Medley (GLS) wrote:
> Craig,
> I would recommend that you look at Joseph Williams' book Style: Ten
> Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Pearson Longman) now in its 8th edition. 
> What I like about this book is that Williams kind of pushes his advice
> almost to the edge, which makes it a bit controversial and more fun to
> discuss with students, who often bristle at his advice.  I also find it
> interesting to discuss with students questions like "Is Williams being
> prescriptivist?"  (For me, his first two chapters set the stage for
> discussions of grammatical prescriptivism in relation to Williams' own
> advice.)  Another interesting question his book raises for me is "Do two
> stylistically different sentences really mean the same thing?"  For
> example, when Williams rewrites passages from James Fenimore Cooper, or 
> from the sociologist Talcott Parsons, or philosopher and former university
> president Myles Brand, are we reading Cooper, Parsons, and Brand or
> Williams?  Is Williams actually expressing the same ideas as these writers
> expressed?  Finally, I appreciate the chance to discuss ethics and style
> (Williams' last chapter).  I am not recommending this book because I agree
> fully with Williams, but because his approach provides many opportunities
> for critical inquiry with students.  An interesting counter-point to
> Williams would be Richard Lanham's Style: An Anti-textbook.
>
> --Mike
>
> R. Michael Medley, Ph.D.
> Director Intensive English Program/ Professor of English
> Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, VA 22802
> [log in to unmask]  (540) 432-4051
>
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