What is Style? Good Question.

When deciding how to define style, I found it difficult to write a concise definition. I feel style can be many things. It can be how you choose your words, sentence structure, whether or not you use humor, and so forth. Style encompasses so many things, but when you get to the point, style is a writer’s own unique way of expressing their self. As an example, I read John Grisham novels. The majority of his looks are legal thrillers, all of which are tied to settings in the south and usually in smaller towns. He doesn’t write in lengthy sentences and has an amazing aptitude for describing a scene for the reader. I would classify these things under Grisham’s style of writing. Some writer’s prefer poetry, others children’s books.
I’m finding it hard to break away from this simple response I’ve been giving and actually get at something meaningful about style. I feel that when you asked, “What is style?” you knew no two people would write similar answers. This is not only more entertaining for you, but when you think about it, each one of us demonstrating our own unique style. Some of us blunt, some sophisticated with their prose, or even meticulous in their breakdown of the question. Either way, I believe a person’s style is a mixture of all they have previously written and most importantly read. I can’t remember if Manguel’s, A History of Reading, touched on this or not, but how else can a person learn to express oneself on paper, without having seen it or watching someone else demonstrate it. When we are young, the connection between words and what we feel must be facilitated. Now we are at an age that allows us to understand what we write and how we write it. After reading a particular author, we can now emulate that writing if we chose to do so. Even further, we can blend styles with our own to express emotion and life’s adventures in new ways. Thus making style and even harder term to define and classify.
Rufman