Synopsis
After its invention in 1877, diagramming sentences became a staple of English classes throughout America, touted as a supposed remedy for sloppy grammar and mangled syntax. The practice thrived well into the 1950s, lost popularity in the 1960s, and by the 21st century has become (with the exception of a few pockets of devotees) an arcane endeavor. Copy editor and novelist Kitty Burns Florey learned sentence diagramming from her sixth grade teacher, Sister Bernadette, and though she does not necessarily believe that diagramming helps teach grammar, she finds anachronistic delight in a well-diagrammed sentence, an aesthetic pleasure from the mapping of language. In SISTER BERNADETTE'S BARKING DOG, Florey's central theme is ostensibly "the quirky history and lost art of diagramming sentences," but like the multitude of branching lines in a diagrammed sentence her book splits off into a multitude of topics and tangents: the etymological connection between "grammar" and "glamour"; the battle of the prescriptivists (determined to preserve the supposed integrity of English at all costs) and the descriptivists (who believe "alright" is all right); Gertrude Stein's surprising love of diagramming; the proper use of the expression "the lion's share"; Florey's own philosophy of language, which she describes as "linguistic agnosticism"; and a discussion of the perfectly rational purposes of such vulgarities as "ain't" and "youse." Throughout this slim, elegant book, Florey's relationship with language is as charming and witty as one between two charismatic characters in a novel. Her footnotes and asides are pitch-perfect, and the ivy-like illustrations of diagrammed sentences that creep across the pages seem like the elaborate rules of a particularly clever and tricky game--which is exactly what they are.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2006-10-01 |
| Size | | Length: | 154 pages | | Height: | 7.3 in | | Width: | 8.0 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 16.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
Once wildly popular and used by grammar teachers across America, sentence diagramming is now a lost art to most people. But from the moment she encountered it in the sixth-grade classroom of Sister Bernadette, Kitty Burns Florey was fascinated by the bizarre method of mapping the words in a sentence.
Now a novelist and veteran copyeditor, Florey studies the practice in a charming and funny look back at its odd history, its elegant method, and its rich, ongoing possibilities. From a discussion of its birth at the Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, to a consideration of how it works, to a revealing look at some of literature's most famous sentences in diagram, it is a charming and often inspiring tale.
Along the way, Florey explores the importance of good grammar and answers language lovers' most pressing questions: Was Mark Twain or James Fenimore Cooper a better grammarian? Can knowing how to diagram a sentence make your life better? And what's Gertrude Stein got to do with any of it?
Industry Reviews
"Diagramming sentences may have gone the way of the slide ruler, but this charming little book makes deconstruction of language fun. In this illustrated personal history, the author, a long-time copy editor, explores the birth and death of language mapping. In this handsome book, subjects, predicates, articles, gerunds and participles dance across the page, bringing delight to those who venture into the party."
(11/25/2006)
"You don't have to be over age 50 or a Catholic school graduate to enjoy SISTER BERNADETTE'S BARKING DOG....Florey's keen memories of being schooled in this art and her humorous affection for it are contagious....Try it, you'll like it."
(11/25/2006)
"This gem from copy editor Florey is a bracing ode to grammar; it's laced with a survivor's nostalgia for classrooms ruled by knuckle-cracking nuns who knew their participles."
(12/04/2006)
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