There is no feeling, except the extremes of fear and grief, that does not find relief in music.
T. S. EliotRead
Composing on the typewriter, I find that I am sloughing off all my long sentences which I used to dote upon. Short, staccato, like modern French prose. The typewriter makes for lucidity, but I am not sure that it encourages subtlety.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Typewriters promote clarity in writing at the expense of nuance.
In this quote, T. S. Eliot reflects on the impact that the typewriter has had on his writing style. He acknowledges that composing on a typewriter leads him to favor shorter, more direct sentences, which enhances clarity or lucidity. However, he questions whether this shift sacrifices the subtlety and complexity that longer sentences can convey, suggesting a tension between clarity and depth in writing.
Themes
WritingClarityTypewriterSubtletyStyle
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about modern writing techniques, one could quote Eliot to emphasize the importance of clarity.
More from T. S. Eliot
All quotes →Half of the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm. But the harm does not interest them.
T. S. EliotRead
I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature and a royalist in politics.
T. S. EliotRead
If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?
T. S. EliotRead
For I have known them all already, known them all— Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.
T. S. EliotRead
In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing
T. S. EliotRead
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