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Helen Sword's avatar

In poetry, parataxis doesn’t just mean short sentences; it’s a literary technique whereby

“two images or fragments, usually starkly dissimilar . . ., are juxtaposed without a clear connection. Readers are then left to make their own connections implied by the paratactic syntax” (Wikipedia). Hypotaxis, by contrast, uses lots of connecting words to make explicit associations between words and ideas. I’ve never really thought about using intentionally paratactic language in academic writing - an interesting idea!

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Michelle Boyd's avatar

I really appreciate being asked to go to extremes in order to find a middle that works for us. It's like we get to be a pendulum swinging back and forth until we come to rest at a balanced, even middle--whatever that looks like for our writing.

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