Suppose we took a spectrum of essays and decked them out in clothing that matched their style.
Those pieces that deliver information—an advance in science, an event in history, a critique of some author or a piece of literature—might wear, if personified, a modest coat, slacks, a solidly colored shirt, and tie. If the writer were female, we might expect her prose to appear in a skirt, a matching blouse, and a simple pendant for a necklace. These essays would dress like bankers, doctors, and lawyers.
Opposite these genteel excursions in print are those diatribes that appear frequently online, leaving aside all semblance of civility and screeching one way or the other about politics and the culture. Were we to rig out these rants with appropriate clothing, T-shirts imprinted with slogans or raised fists, frayed jeans, combat boots, and studded leather bracelets would be de rigueur. These pieces are street fighters run riot.
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