Russell as a Prose 

Writer
Bertrand Russell is by all respects, a productive prose writer, who wrote abundantly.
He is the prominent writer of present century who wrote on a variety of subjects of
human interest, with great zeal and zest. He expressed his acumen and writing power in
a forceful and logical style. He wrote almost on everything and there was hardly a
human problem, which remained untouched by him.
Basically he was a mathematician and his grand, epoch-making contribution to his
subject was published in three volumes. Principa Mathematica in collaboration with
professor Whitehaed, which is verily a landmark in the history of mathematics. His
scientific and mathematical skill together endowed him with approach to speak and
write with perfect proficiency.
The fineness and beauty of his style depends mainly on clarity of his thoughts. There
is no confusion or complexity. A rich coffer of knowledge made him upright and honest
in his opinions.
Whenever Russell takes to writing on a subject, he adopts a systematic way for a
successful production. About his own method of writing, he says:
“If I were to write upon some rather difficult topic, the best plan is to think about is with
very great interest—— the great intensity of which I am capable—– for a few hours or
days, and at the end of that time give orders, so to speak, that the work is to proceed
under ground. After some months, I return consciously to the topic and find that the
work has been done. Before I had discovered this technique, I used to spend the
intervening months worrying because I was making no progress, I arrived at the
solution none the sooner for this worry and the intervening months were wasted,
whereas now I can devote to other pursuits.
(The Conquest of Happiness, page 50).
The above-mentioned reference indicates that Russell was convinced of clarity of
thought and fluency of expression. His thoughts were always clear and his style always
chaste, transparent and lucid. The clarity of thought and neatness of expression were the
two things, out of which, he developed a charming style, which left indelible imprints on
the reader’s mind.
Unity of Thoughts
The second salient feature of Russell’s style is the unity of thought. The discipline of
logic and mathematics taught him the principle of unity of thought. Like a mathematical
premise, his arguments start from a well-affirmed basic assumption and then he
proceeds step by step to the logical conclusion of his arguments. A fine coherence exists
in his arguments. Each argument is related to the preceding one like the anxious
of Euclid. So the conclusion drawn is the logical outcome of his arguments.
The Exact Use of Words
Russell’s ideal scientific inclination enables him to make an exact and perfect use of
words. He uses words, which are rich, pure, clear and transparent. There is no
ambiguity or obscurity. If some ambiguity occurs somewhere he clarifies it in the
following sentences. He avoids excessive use of words. He words are small in number
but rich in meaning. He avoids empty rhetoric, and produces a charm of writing with
modest use of words.
Long Sentences
Russell usually uses lengthy and elaborate sentences to maintain his unity of
thought. He is fully aware of this aspect of his style and therefore does not let the length
of sentence harm the fluency of writing. From beginning to the end, his thoughts go
steadily, and with pleasant rhythm and coherence. His style poses a medium though
which his thoughts flow smoothly. There is not dullness, but sweetness in his writing,
relished by the readers.
Simplicity of Language
Setting aside bombastic and pompous language, he insists on simplicity and effect of
expression. He hardly uses excessive synonymous words to make the sentence tedious
and tasteless. That is why his writing is not monotonous and dull, rather sweet and
pleasant, relished interestingly by the readers. He adopts convincing and simple style
which touch the core of reader’s heart directly. He rarely uses excessive synonyms to
make the sentence monotonous and boring. However his sentences are long and dilated.
He unfurls his thoughts through the long sentences to preserve the unity of thought.
Russell could not help it because he wrote on solemn and grave subjects, which
demanded an interlinked unity of thoughts and arguments. It is not an easy job to dwell
upon sober and grave subjects and maintaining the simplicity of description and clarity
of thoughts. But Russell manipulated it with proficiency. He diminished the gravity of
subject with simplicity and lucidity of words and produced a style, which was unique but
familiar, scholarly and easy.
Seriousness
Almost all his writings retain the seriousness of the subject, but as we have pointed
out earlier, his writing does not bear his personal emotional effect. He was among the
greatest humanists of 20th century who deeply felt the pain and problems of humanity.
He set forth a practical philosophy of human life and all his life preached for it. But
again he was a not a traditional preacher like an old type dogmatic clergy. It was his
intellectual vision, broadmindedness and impersonal attitude towards human problems,
which made him a sober, prolific and high profile writer. The deepness of his outlook
actually made his style heart-felt and effective. He was much concerned for the
humanity surrounded by horrible problems. There was a possible danger of nuclear war
after the invention of nuclear weapons, world population was growing at an alarming
rate, natural resources were running out fast and the likelihood of calamities and
famines was hanging like Damocles sword on the head of humanity.
Furthermore the endless ideological clash between the two great super powers of
the world and its formidable effects on mankind, particularly on the developing
countries did not let him attain a peace of mind. He sensed the danger of all these
problems on and clamored for it through his writing. He also deplored the follies of man
done in the past and showed his deep concern for the imminent calamities. His heart
was teeming with sympathy and love for humanity. He contemplated on the human
follies, problems and hardships and always thought of their solutions.
His Humor and Satire
A serious discussion, how much important it may be, makes a write-up dull and
boring. In spite of high seriousness, Russell’s style is tinged with cheerfulness and
humor. His writing bears a highly intellectual and scholarly style, with a humorous
touch. But his humor does not go outrageous or overboard. His writing never becomes
disgusting rather is remains optimistic and lively with a ray of hope. This humor has a
reformative aspect, which not only pinpoints human blunders, but also suggests a
solution, with a hope for improvement in future. For example, when describing the
opposition of the clergy against the scientific inventions towards the end of nineteenth
century, when Franklin invented the lightning rod, he writes:
“When Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, the Clergy both
in England and America, with enthusiastic support of God to punish impiety or some
other grave sin—- the virtuous are never struck by lightning. Therefore if God wants to
strike anyone, Benjamin Franklin ought not to defeat His design, indeed to do so is to
help criminals to escape. But was equal to the occasion. If we are believe the eminent Dr.
Price, one of the leading divines of Boston. Lightning having been rendered ineffectual
by the iron points invented by the sagacious Dr. Franklin, Massachusetts was shaken by
earthquakes, which Dr. Price perceived to be due to God’s wrath at the Iron Point.’ In a
sermon on the subject he said, “In Boston are more erected than elsewhere in New
England, and Boston seems to be of God Apparently, however, Providence gave up all
hopes of curing Boston of its wickedness, for though lightning rods became more and
more common, earthquakes in Massachusetts have remained rare. Nevertheless, Dr.
Price’s point of view, or something very like it, was still held by one of the most
influential men of recent times. When there were several bad earthquakes in India,
Mahatma Gandhi solemnly warned his compatriots that these disasters had been sent as
punishment for their sins.” (Unpopular Essay page 85-86) The above detailed account
shows sharpness of his humor and satire using which, how beautifully he exposes he
follies of dogmatism. 
Ornate Style
Though Russell’s style is generally marked with clarity and brevity, yet he a capable
of writing florid and embellished language, to prove his artistic command on writing.
His only celebrated essay “The Free Man “Worship” published in his book Mysticism
and Logic is a nice expression of his flowery and ornate style, which is an ample proof of
his nice taste and command on English language.
Most of his writings are thoughtful and argumentative in nature, but it does not mar
his clarity and fluency. The unity of thoughts pours out of his pen with a symmetry and
harmony to make his description weighty and chaste. The excellent example of Russell’s
descriptive style is seen in his own autobiography. It describes his life history narrated
in an attractive, simple and appealing way, which is read by the readers with great
interest.
In short: Russell can be regarded as one of the greatest prose-writers of
th
20  century, who wrote on a variety of subjects relating to human life with a great
writing skill. Clarity, simplicity, fluency and harmony are the salient features of his style.
He skillfully expresses unity of thought along with his unity of style.