The Sense of Style

Steven Pinker brings his authority as a linguist, cognitive psychologist, author, and Harvard University professor to bear on The Sense of Style. More importantly, however, Pinker presents himself in the text as an avid reader, a lover of language, and a patient teacher. While not as quantifiable as his professional credentials, the “softer” aspects of Pinker’s persona are ultimately more important for building his credibility as someone worth listening to on the topic of writing style. Throughout the book, he consciously employs the “classic style” as laid out in Chapter 2, presenting himself as a guide who respects his readers. He provides multiple examples for nearly every phenomenon he describes, often juxtaposing passages side by side to discuss their relative merits, and he lays out his thinking in clear, logical steps. He is approachable without being condescending, writing in the first person and addressing the writer as “you.” Moreover, he displays a willingness to reflect on his own writing process to exemplify certain points. Finally, Pinker presents himself as someone with a keen interest in popular culture. His references range from Richard Dawkins to the Beatles, and the cartoons that appear throughout the text include both newspaper classics like Doonesbury and 2000s-era webcomics.