LITERARY STANDARD

views updated

LITERARY STANDARD, also Literary English. A term used by Eric PARTRIDGE in the mid-20c for the English of literary prose:[It] lies beyond any matter of
pronunciation, and is confined to
written English,—and should it be used
in speech, it is too bookish to be
Received. Of Literary English—Literary
Standard—it is necessary only to say that
it is the more conventional, stylized, and
dignified, more accurate and logical,
sometimes the more beautiful form that
Received Standard assumes, like evening
dress, for important occasions
(Usage and Abusage, 1947, revised 1957).


See LITERATURE, RECEIVED STANDARD AND MODIFIED STANDARD, STANDARD.

About this article

LITERARY STANDARD

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article