"Style is that which indicates how the writer takes himself and what he is saying. It is the mind skating circles around itself as it moves forward."

- Robert Frost

I have to admit that I’m a little shaky on the definition of style, especially as it applies to anything I might write. But you hooked me right in with the title of the thread - I think there is plenty of influence from both Faulkner and Hemingway in modern writing, but get the distinct impression that Hemingway is considered the more acceptable model, these days. More in tune with the brevity and to-the-pointedness induced by today’s rushing, convenience-oriented lifestyles. Faulkner understood the beauty of words, and reading his works is like standing in the hushed halls of a museum, looking at a painting by one of the masters: the viewing an experience in itself; he can take your breath away with brush strokes. But most people don’t have time for the details anymore, and have come to believe, as a result of that, not that less is more, but that less is enough. That we no longer need all that is available to us through language. Or, at least, that we can get there with fewer, and less specific tools. All hail progress, right? Um…wait…

I am wondering, too, how my personal opinions will change throughout my reading life; I am learning to appreciate that story is as important as words.