The voices of English women technical writers, 16411700: Imprints in the evolution of modern English prose style
Academic Article
Overview
Identity
Additional Document Info
Other
View All
Overview
abstract
The first books and the first technical books published by English women during the 14751700 period can be useful in teaching students about the emergence of technical style or plain style.; If we examine the style of these women writers, long ignored by canonical studies, we can see that plain English existed before Bacon and received its impetus not from science, but from the utilitarian attitude that pervaded the 14751700 period. These women writers provide a microcosm for studying the rise of modern English prose and what we now call technical (or plain) style. They also provide an efficient way to expose students to early published works by women and their contribution to the history of technical writing. Examining style from such a perspective helps students see that technical communication was a prevalent kind of writing before Bacon and the Royal Society. Thus, technical communicationand the style of technical communicationstudied from this unique historical perspective deepens students awareness of the roots of technical communication as it contributed to the history of English discourse. 1998, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
