# The Art of Writing and Style in The Path to Rome

> Theme guide for The Path to Rome by Hilaire Belloc.

The book contains extensive meta-commentary on writing, including a playful 'Praise of This Book,' a mock-heroic marshaling of literary devices (neologisms, anachronisms, egotisms), and discussions on the difficulties of beginning, climaxing, and ending a book.

## Where it surfaces

- [Praise of This Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_path_to_rome_se/chapters/praise-of-this-book): The narrator discusses prefaces, style, and launches a Rabelaisian call to arms for his words, celebrating rhetorical freedom.
- [The Path to Rome](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_path_to_rome_se/chapters/the-path-to-rome): The narrator reflects on the quality of books as a refuge from living, and the ability of writing to fix elusive hours and make them timeless.
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_path_to_rome_se/chapters/endnotes): The narrator explicitly addresses the craft of writing, deciding to use stories or songs to handle uneventful road segments.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_path_to_rome_se/themes/the_art_of_writing_and_style
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_path_to_rome_se/themes