The Elements of Fucking Style

by William Strunk Jr., F. Scott Titsgerald

* The classic text on writing style annotated with example sentences and delightfully laced with profanity.

To hell with stuffy grammar guides. When it comes to getting your point across, clear and concise writing makes all the damn difference. William Strunk Jr.’s classic guide to effective writing style has received an irreverent makeover that makes it easier for the rules to penetrate your thick-ass skull.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

Published May 10, 2017

About the author

William Strunk Jr. was a professor of English at Cornell University and, together with E.B. White, author of The Elements of Style (1918).

Reviews

[Courtenay Hameister · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no issue with language or sexually explicit content - in fact, I'm a fan. But this book is so insanely misogynistic that I'm shocked it’s still in print.

It uses the word “slut” on almost every page and pretty much interchangeably with “woman.” Every woman in the book is a “little slut” or a “hooker.” It’s as if the book was written by a group of drunken date-rapists in a frat house.

If you want to use examples of women being sexual, I’m all for it, as long as you give them some agency and don’t slut-shame them at every turn. I mean, seriously? Slut-shaming in 2021? We’re still doing that?

There’s also some fun racist stuff peppered in there as well.

I didn’t read the whole thing, but I pulled some prime examples of my biggest “yikes” moments out. Almost all of these were sentences used to illustrate a grammar or punctuation rule.

CW: racist language, sexist language

Examples:
She usually lets me fuck her in the ass, but only after dinner and a movie.
Holy shit, that’s a loose pussy.
Remember when Southern blacks thought it was cool to wear a grille on their teeth?
I took her unwillingness to blow me as my cue to leave.
She liked being fucked in every way possible, and didn’t care who was fucking her.
I’ll take the blonde, the brunette, the redhead and the Hispanic chick.
One of my sisters, Lauren, is a complete slut.
The girl I had anal sex with freshman year has a great set of tits.
Her tits drooped much more than they had prior to childbirth, and as I regrettably discovered, her vagina looked like a collapsed termite mound.
The night had been a complete disaster, but a blowjob would probably salvage things.
Jim’s sister, little slut that she was, spend half the night prancing around in her underwear.
The best way to deflower a virgin, unless you’re a sadist, is to bite down on her ear as you slide in.
He fucked a slut, he fucked the slut.

So, yeah. This one's a HUGE "no" for me, and I'd ask St. Martin's Press to pull the book until they can do some GIANT edits. It's just gross.

[Lindsay Garfinkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this book as a gift because I love the English language. The concept is great — an interesting way to “teach” grammar and other elements of the English language. However, this book sounds like it was written by an old man to be read by old men. It was so try hard / extra and way too vulgar / explicit for me. Great concept, poor execution. Wouldn’t recommend. Probably a 1.5 stars but rounded up to 2 for the original idea. Also, less than 100 pages and took me almost 3 months to get through… enough said.

[S.W. Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An irreverent look at grammar.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know. But it's good.

[ozzluc · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a very misogynistic, homophobic, vulgar, triggering, and overall inappropriate piece of literature but it is also a genius approach for learning the boring rules of academic writing

[Cy Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

A much entertaining version. Lol