(2/2021) From its oldest origins, mankind has expertly communicated ideas through speech, painting, music, film, and most importantly, writing. One common thread, other than that of communication, unites all these critical forms of human expression. Each, without a doubt, can be considered a form of art, as well as an expression possessing beauty or ugliness.

Writing, perhaps, is the least treated of all of these as an object containing beauty. While it is similar to painting or sculpting in that the intended effect of the work is always to produce some sort of active thought or emotion, it is a format that does so almost unnoticed. It is such a common part of our daily lives that the beauty or ugliness within certain works of writing is rarely considered, though still present. In fact, just as with the more visual arts, there are many aspects to this beauty that the written word can possess or lack. Similarly in another form, this beauty is more objective than subjective, though the difference may be much more difficult to discern. It is a characterizing feature that is reliant on constant factors, rather than personal preferences.

This point is especially clear in one form that can make the written word a communication of beauty, which is style. Nearly every author has their own individual style that enables the reader to recognize their work, and more than that, to produce specific images or display certain concepts in the mind of the reader. Authors such as Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, and James Fenimore Cooper are excellent examples of this element. Each fiction author employed his own unique method of telling a story, and even while some may find the individual tales drab, lengthy, or unrealistic, there is yet some unexplainable satisfaction in reading works such as The Count of Monte Cristo. It is similar to the effects of a good conversation with an old friend, in that it is possible to recognize the uniqueness of the narrative. The case is quite the same with nonfiction works, as proven in the education system. Authors such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Karl Marx, and many others are studied in the collegiate sphere. Though their ideas may be sinister, and the concepts presented to the reader unhelpful for the formulation of a good life, their writings remain valuable if only due to the unique emotional and mental effects each is capable of creating in the reader. Style, in this sense, is one of the characteristics that serves to make a writing beautiful.

In this stylistic quality, however, there is yet another aspect that must be treated on. It is quite common for authors to imitate other diverse styles throughout history in their own work. Often, this slight degree of imitation becomes a further refinement or development of the initial style, with elements of the new author’s own personal form being inserted along with the inspiration. Take, for instance, the manner in which Ernest Hemingway drew from Mark Twain. Aspects of Twain’s writing, particularly the accurate period speech and underlying social commentary, were seized upon by Hemingway and fused with his unique pace of story and linguistic choices. In a way, it is the new seizing upon and building off the old, something that even in reality evokes a nostalgic image of beauty. On the other hand, many of the forgotten pulp romance, adventure, and thriller works have been brushed over by history and entirely forgotten. There is little variance to any of them, with each style and plotline virtually a replica of former writings with small and insignificant alterations. These retellings, which fail to have the staying power of other more notable examples, lack uniqueness of style or substance to a large degree. Through the comparison of these two examples, perhaps it is suitable to pronounce that uniqueness, as with visual art, is also a quality necessary for true beauty in written art,

The third quality that produces beauty inside a written work is purpose. Not entirely related to theme but similar, if a writing is to be beautiful it must convey something to the reader of it, whether what is conveyed is a trivial subject or something grand. It is in this way that, through there being the presence of some substance or other, both philosophical or academic works can be considered equally beautiful as fictitious works or poetry, and vice versa. While the idea of a purpose "to entertain" may be little more than a way of avoiding discussion of a theme in high school, even novels that have no apparent explanatory purpose can have a purpose to impart some image or other, or perhaps even a feeling to the reader through the events or scenarios in the text. In literature less focused on escaping the realities of live but rather of defining or investigating them, these purposes are often clear. Some works are written to explain complex subjects such as free will or the nature of human existence, while other more restrained works treat simply on how one should behave in daily life or the method through which natural events occur. Regardless, both focuses of a writing provide some purpose to it, granting the work substance in that it seeks to present something to a reader, signifying another piece that causes a written work to be valuable and beautiful.

Perhaps the most interesting part of what makes a writing beautiful, however, is that there exists little reliance on the image presented to the human comprehension to perceive this beauty. Rather than all other forms of art, where visual experiences appeal to a sensory human faculty, the beauty of the written word is partially found in interpretation and imagination, both of which require the filtering of the written information through the mind. While this transference of information is done from within, the mind expresses it through internally represented images and concepts drawing upon prior experience, essentially producing a sensory response from an area within that lacks any sensory power. From the words on the page, man can apply his imagination to create an entire universe, to apply the treated realities of life to his own, or to simply immerse himself in a story entirely. There is a reason that, even with all the excessively stimulating modern entertainment forced towards us daily by the world around us, the idea of curling up on a cold day with a blanket and a book still appeals to us all.

Just as with visual art, the written word can maintain a degree of beauty unparalleled by some other formats. It is a beauty that is a fusion of the mind and the art itself, comprehending what is written and transforming it into a vivid image. However, exactly like the visual forms of art, the beauty inherent to the written word is not a personal decision, but rather a reality that instinctively produces a certain response in the human persona. This can be seen in the works we appreciate, the vast majority of which have unique and entertaining styles, a purpose behind them, and an effect upon the human mind. Without a doubt, so long as people are literate, more truly beautiful works under these criteria will continue to be produced.