What are the stylistic qualities of Russell’s writings?

Discuss with reference to

the Conquest of Happiness.
The Appeal of Russell’s Prose Style
Bertrand Russell is one of the greatest masters of English Prose. He revolutionized not only the
subject matter but also the mode of expression. He has in him a happy blend of greatest
philosopher and a great writer. He was awarded Nobel Prize for literature in 1950. The subject
matter of his essays may be very difficult but his manner of expression is so lucid and simple
that even a layman can understand him without any special difficulty. It is a rare privilege which
only few prose masters enjoy. The precision and clarity which Russell’s prose style possesses
are very rare in the bulk of English prose.

Russell has justly been regarded as one of the great prose stylists of the 20th century. Although
he is not a literary writer yet his work devoted mainly to problems of philosophy, ethics,
morality, political, social life and economics, etc. impresses us greatly by its literary qualities.

Of course, Russell's style sometimes becomes difficult for the average reader who comes across
sentences which he has read for more than once in order to get the meaning. Russell’s style
appeals mainly to our intellects and very little to our feelings or emotions. He uses words simply
as tools, to convey his meaning plain and effective and not to produce any special effects. It is
not a coloured or gorgeous style. Nor is there any passion in it. It is somewhat cold.

There are no “jeweled phrases” in his writings nor sentences over which we would like to linger
with the aesthetic pleasure. Russell’s style is intellectually brilliant. He can condense an idea or
a thought in a few words if he so desires. Russell is always direct, simple and lucid. He knows
that the complexity of expression leads to ambiguity. Nothing can be more lucid than such
opening lines:

“Happiness depends partly upon external circumstances and partly upon oneself.”

“Of all the institutions that have come down to us from the past, none is so disorganized and
derailed as the family.”

Russell’s sentences clearly show Bacon’s terseness. They are replete with so deep thoughts like
those of Bacon that we may elaborate them in countless pages. Many sentences are like
proverbs, replete with deep meanings like:

“One of the most powerful sources of false belief is envy.”

“Pride of a race is even more harmful than national pride.”

Russell’s quotations from the Bible, Shakespeare, Roman and Greek writers are harmoniously
woven into the texture of his thoughts. The Biblical phrases and quotations lend sublimity to his
prose and make his style scholarly. Russell manipulates such allusiveness in order to make his
ironical onslaughts more effective.
A noteworthy feature of the style of Russell is a complete absence of digressions or any other
form of superfluity. Russell is never prolix or diffuse. Nor does he create an impression of
copiousness or over-abundance in the matter of expression. His statements are compact and
well-knit, even when somewhat long.
Irony is a principal instrument of his style. He ironizes the so-called modern minded people.
Russell makes frequent uses of wit and humour but his humour is generally not pure fun or
frolic.

Russell writes chaste prose and there is a rationalistic approach to life. As a deep thinker and a
man with scientific mood, he has infused into his style a new depth and a stream-like continuity
and clarity.

His chief concern is to convey his ideas to his readers. That is why his prose style exhibits his
balanced personality. ‘Style is the man’ applies to him more logically.

Russell makes long sentences to pour out his feelings with a poetic flash. He thinks deeply and
expresses the matter in a logical manner. The sentence is definitely long but the main link of the
thought is not broken anywhere. All subordinate clause move towards the main clause with the
definite aim of making the sense more clear. No part of the syntax is loose.

Russell does not use metaphors and similes frequently. To him, they are the matter of
necessity. These are to be used only when there is a dire necessity of using them. Russell makes
a great use of the art of rhetoric to emphasize his point. He does not make his rhetoric
pompous and exaggerated.

Bertrand Russell always argues his case in a strictly logical manner and his aim always is
exactitude or precision. As far as possible, he never leaves the reader in any doubt about what
he has to say. He stresses the need of rationality, which he calls scepticism in all sphere of life.

Each essay is logically well knit and self-contained. In each essay the development of the
thought is continuous and strictly logical, with a close interconnection between one paragraph
and another. It is a style best suited to an advocate. There are no superfluities in his style at all.

To conclude, Russell is one of the great prose writers of the last century, who wrote an almost
all kinds of varied subjects with great force and confidence. The unity of his thoughts goes hand
in hand with the unity of his style.