Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Readability

cash advance

When this test was first going around, I suppressed my results in embarrassment. Then I read one person who had tested a blog of C. S. Lewis' writings and found that it was at the elementary level, and one of Chesterton's was at the high school level. (Chesterton himself said that if you could not say what you meant in words of one syllable, you didn't really know what you meant. Though he did not so restrict himself in his own writings.)

So why be ashamed of being readable? Why hang my head when I have merely realized the goal of endless re-readings of The Elements of Style?

I admit with some embarrassment that the deciding factor for me to post my score was coming across a poorly-written blog proudly sporting a badge that said it was a "genius" reading level. (Indeed, there are a lot of blogs out there that would require more than a genius to decipher. This does not mean that they took a genius to write.)

So, the Duchy. Clear, direct and readable since 2003.

That or maybe my first thought was correct, and I devote too much of my content to quoting the ducklings.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have been thinking about this one a lot as I mentioned to Willa. I started at Jr High and then I wrote a rather complicated post and tested again and I had dropped to elementary :)

Cindy from dominionfamily

Megan said...

I, too, opted out of posting my results when it came up with "Junior High." Because, like, you know, junior high is so much more, like, embarrassing than elementary school.

Some of my favorite writers write to the elementary aged crowd. Who do we know that writes well to the junior high crowd? I rest my case...

*grin*

Anonymous said...

I agree--those of you who discuss such abstract thoughts in such readable writing deserve the Genius after all.

Me, who didn't deserve the Genius-level-rating for posts about salad dressing and knit flower pins at all

Wendy said...

I came up with the You-Have-to-be-a Genius-to-Figure-This-Out award. Hm.

Not sure I want to post that.

How in the world are they calculating this?

Carrie said...

LOL! I posted my results. (I laughed HARD.)

Dana said...

I got college-postgrad and Brooks got genius (I guessed as much for him, given the amount of surrealist poetry on his blog). I really want to know how they calculate, too!

And I'm with you on the Lewis and Chesterton admirable simplicity.

Sky said...

I think the whole thing is strange. Who exactly is labeling these blogs on levels of maturity of thought?
My tiny little book blog that I just started got Genius?! I laugh every time I see it!
My book blog is fun and silly and not at all in the genius bracket! (Or even the ADULT intelligence bracket!)HOW do they decide???
Pretty ridiculous.

Christie said...

I took that quiz a few weeks ago and decided against posting my results. But I'm glad you did ... and CS Lewis is good company! :)