How To Write A Sentence by Stanley Fish

Book Summary:

"How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One" is a celebrated book by American literary theorist and author Stanley Fish, published in 2011. In this work, Fish delves into the art of crafting effective sentences, emphasizing that the structure of a sentence is as crucial as its content in conveying meaning.

Fish begins by asserting that a well-constructed sentence's power lies in its form. He explores various sentence structures, such as subordinating, additive, and satiric sentences, illustrating how each can be employed to achieve different rhetorical effects. By analyzing sentences from renowned authors like John Donne, Jane Austen, and Ernest Hemingway, Fish demonstrates how form and content intertwine to create impactful writing. 

About the Author:

Stanley Fish (born April 19, 1938, in Providence, Rhode Island) is a distinguished American literary critic, legal scholar, and author. He has held academic positions at institutions such as the University of California, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins University, Duke University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Fish is renowned for his contributions to literary theory, particularly reader-response criticism, which posits that a text's meaning is created by the reader's interpretation.