The intro says -
E.B. White (1899 -- 1985), essayist for The New Yorker, author of "Stuart Little," "Charlotte's Web" and "The Elements of Style," was a defining voice of American writing this century. According to one reviewer, "he is the master of an idiom at once exact and suggestive, distinguished yet familiar. He says wise things gracefully."
.There's a funny and wise comment from E.B. White, aimed at academics who want to dissect books into a set of questions suitable for homework or a quiz in The Author of "One Man's Meat" Talks About Writing and Country Living .
In the interview E.B. White is talking about sending a piece of his work to a teacher who wanted to use it in a book he was compiling with various author's works, for his English class. E.B. White was happy to do so, but asked the teacher to send him the compilation in which he had used his work. E.B. White writes -
"'He sent me the book and I read my piece in it. At the end there were a lot of questions: 'Why did Mr. White use repetition here?' was one question. And 'Explain the author's purpose in inserting this phrase.'E.B. White's work has stood the test of time and will continue to delight young and old people for years to come. As a writer, he was a hard worker, who mercilessly edited his own material and had a singular ability to write clearly and concisely, while capturing the essence - all while making it appear to the reader as quite easy, as if he was talking to you - often with a twinkle in his eye.
'Gosh, those questions aren't easy. I tried to answer them and flunked cold. I admit there was repetition there, but I hadn't realized it. Anyway, I couldn't think of a good sound reason why I'd used it. . . .'"
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