Elite Writing (Was: PSAT Glitch)

[Baker, John]

        Arnold's use of The New York Times to exemplify elite writing raises the question of which sources to use when we want to show that in reality a usage is or is not accepted by the best writers.  As I've suggested to him off-list, I don't think The New York Times (or any other daily newspaper) is a good source.  Daily newspapers are just under too much pressure to go to press rapidly, and even front-page stories can get only limited attention.  Editorials and op-ed pieces, in contrast, may suffer from the copy editor's deference to senior editors or important guest writers.

        So what does this leave?  Shakespeare and the King James Version are usually considered high points of English writing, but it must be conceded that the language has changed in the past four centuries.  Writing manuals?  Writings by college professors of note?  Supreme Court opinions?  Frankly, none of these are notable for the quality of their writing.  I suppose you could say that distinguished periodicals noted for their copy editing, such as The New Yorker and the Atlantic Monthly, make the best consistent examples of elite writing.

        BTW, I want to clarify that I, at least, have been greatly interested in Arnold's postings, the master-apprentice dialogue most of all.

John Baker