Abstract
Efforts to establish a base for making valid generalizations about prose style must begin -with the printed page. Me freely assign descriptive adjectives to the writing of any author of whom we are knowledgeable, but such subjectivity only compounds our ignorance. Every analysis of prose style must attempt to objectively answer the question, "How did the author achieve this style?" | In our time we witness increasing manifestations of a scientific approach to our every act. Each year the possibility of avoiding this Scientific Age recedes further. This situation enables—perhaps tempts is a better term—us to apply scientific principles, if not the machinery, to problems inherent in the study of literature. Whether we use computers or pencils, this temptation to delve into the methods of writers comes largely from the environment we all share. The question now has become, "Precisely what statistics can we produce to substantiate our statements about a writer’s style?”