Is his "writing style" disputatious? No, Franklin is
generally not considered controversial in his writing style. In fact, he fits right in
with both Realism and Neoclassicism if you ask me. It is very "eighteenth century"
so-to-speak. Let me explain. Ben Franklin rightly called his The Autobiography of
Benjamin Franklin simply his "Memoirs," although he never officially titled them as
such. Franklin's own description fits the work rather
well.
The style is mostly narrative in nature, with
Franklin telling amusing anecdotes about his trial and error as a young lad trying to
become a great writer. Most notably, I remember one part of the work with Franklin
revealing the story of himself pushing around a wheelbarrow full of papers in order only
to "appear" industrious, ... when not doing so in reality. He wanted others to "see"
him pushing around a wheelbarrow full of paper in order for them to say, "Oh my, look at
that industrious lad, ... what amazing work he must be doing."
Ha!
I suppose it is odd in the fact that the style blends
from a more informal tone to a more formal one, ... becoming more didactic in nature as
the work progresses. However, this is the nature of a memoir, eh? I love how
Franklin's work depicts one of the original concepts of "The American Dream" where a
young scamp, through the appearance of industriousness, can advance in society and
social standing in order to become a success.
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