In the interests of cross-cultural diversity, I thought I should just update my post on George Orwell’s six rules for good writing with the French academic counterpart.
I wouldn’t single out French academia–without any doubt, academic writers in all countries will applaud me–except that I happen to be re-reading Serge Lancel’s impressively researched biography of Hannibal. And, well, I did spend three summers in France, trying to read their books.
Here goes:
| George Orwell |
French Academia |
| Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. | Only use phrases that tenured professors or famous dead scholars have already used |
| Never use a long word where a short one will do. | There are short words? |
| If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out. | Say the same thing over and over again until you hit your wordcount |
| Never use the passive where you can use the active. | Only use the passive; anything else is for amateur lightweights |
| Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. | Use utilize Greek, Latin or Sanskrit terms. The more banal your thought, the more exotic the word. |
| Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. | Never break these rules. They are rules. |
Hannibal and Me: life lessons from history 