A note on style

Style is often thought of as Content's brat sister, somehow not worthy of a place in literature's shadow. Examples of bad style are seen in most printed media: advertising, websites and novels are examples. By "bad style" I don't mean, in particular, how flashy and clever the layout and imagery are, but how well they do their job in communicating the message, which is what style is all about. Many aspects of style are used in a work of literature, possibly taking in hundreds of factors. Here I name but a few:
Levels of headings;
Fonts;
Americanisation;
page numbering;
Mr. or Mr;
20,000 or 25 000;
TS Eliot, T.S. Eliot, T S Eliot, T. S. Eliot or Eliot, TS;
etc, etc. or etc.
Without styles being taken into account, the whole meaning of the work can be confused. To show one simple example, I'll use levels of headings, in an imaginary book about Transport. First, how it should look:

Transport
Aircraft

Military

Bombers
Bombers, dfdff fhwe fdwehdf efef hf fwdf wef efh ef efhew fwehf f ehf iehfe fiwehf wehf wehf hf hfieh fehf ehfiu ehfiue ifhew fhewi fheiuhf ewhf iewhf ehfe fhi fdhpqd puhd hd hdfe wfh hef hwf f hieuwhf ewhf.

Fighters
Fighters fd]wfpoif fiojfewf efewiufe wfeiofwe fjewf wofije wfjwef ejwf wejifw efjew fjiewf ewijf ewjfew fjeowif jweiojf ewoifjwe iofj weiofjwe fijwef ijwef iowejf wefjewio fiweojf ewjf ewewjf weq[i.
 

Civil

Passenger jets
Passenger edhef efwehf wfuhew fhewf ewuifh ewfuhwe fewhd edh edh edhue dhe dhew dheuhd ewuhfd weuphf efuhwe pfwef uehf ewfhe wfh wefuwehfuiwehf weuihf9wif w[icjdkfh wj wef.

Crop sprayers
Sweetcornd dfdjf ewufh weufhwe fuhwe fuhew fhwef pwe[f fejwfh wehfuiewhfe wfhew ifwqfjwe piofjweryytb dfnwedf bfweiojf f weifj fuihwef uwehfefj ewf wehfe wfhwe fwenwe fnnfwfn.

Road vehicles

Cars

Saloons
Wheels fhftr ddsif fnbdojdfuydendf df dopsdfjdf sdifsdfjdf dfjsdfkjd fdf s[ddfj shdsfenf sdsfh sdfudsofdjf sodifj apsofd tyres.
...


 

If the style goes awry in the headings, the whole thing could be misinterpreted. For example, in the following,

Transport
Aircraft

Miltary

Bombers
Baombers, dfdff fhwe fdwehdf efef hf fwdf wef efh ef efhew fwehf f ehf iehfe fiwehf wehf wehf hf hfieh fehf ehfiu ehfiue ifhew fhewi fheiuhf ewhf iewhf ehfe fhi fdhpqd puhd hd hdfe wfh hef hwf f hieuwhf ewhf.

Fighters

Fighters fd]wfpoif fiojfewf efewiufe wfeiofwe fjewf wofije wfjwef ejwf wejifw efjew fjiewf ewijf ewjfew fjeowif jweiojf ewoifjwe iofj weiofjwe fijwef ijwef iowejf wefjewio fiweojf ewjf ewewjf weq[i.
 

Civil

Passenger jets
Passenger edhef efwehf wfuhew fhewf ewuifh ewfuhwe fewhd edh edh edhue dhe dhew dheuhd ewuhfd weuphf efuhwe pfwef uehf ewfhe wfh wefuwehfuiwehf weuihf9wif w[icjdkfh wj wef.

Crop sprayers

Sweetcornd dfdjf ewufh weufhwe fuhwe fuhew fhwef pwe[f fejwfh wehfuiewhfe wfhew ifwqfjwe piofjweryytb dfnwedf bfweiojf f weifj fuihwef uwehfefj ewf wehfe wfhwe fwenwe fnnfwfn.

Road vehicles

Cars

Saloons
Wheels fhftr ddsif fnbdojdfuydendf df dopsdfjdf sdifsdfjdf dfjsdfkjd fdf s[ddfj shdsfenf sdsfh sdfudsofdjf sodifj apsofd tyres.

you could be forgiven for thinking that "Civil" and "Crop sprayers" were  means of transport in themselves, and that road vehicles and saloons were kinds of crop sprayers. Style over content? I could go on but I won't. It's not my style.

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