In Praise of Purple Prose: A Guide to Writing with Elegance, Opulence, and Indulgence

A playful and irreverent argument for—and practical guide to—writing in a rich and extraordinary style

When it comes to literary style, the commonplace wisdom of composition classrooms, newsrooms, and editorial offices has long been that less is more. Students are taught that the best prose is that which eschews ornamentation and rhetorical flourish. But what if sometimes more is more? In Praise of Purple Prose playfully and cheekily contests a century worth of convention that rejects the ba...