Brevity in speech and in writing is a quality that was recognized by a supremely talented wordsmith and the preeminent practitioner of English writing, William Shakespeare. In Act II, Scene II of Hamlet, while delivering a report to the king and queen, Polonius delivers the following: "This business is well ended. ... (Shakespeare 2.2.86-92) If brevity, then, is the soul of wit (meaning here canny intelligence and perceptive thought), then Hemingway may well be the wittiest writer of the 20th century. ...

• Word Count: 5359
• Approx Pages: 21
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate