Pride and Prejudice: For Engineers
Jane Austen, offered as a formal systems design and concept development report.
This document started life many years ago as a test, for me. I’m a Rocket Scientist, and my boss had become exasperated at my rather verbose writing habits. I would offer two words where one would do, and I would offer emotive language where the terse reports of engineering design were demanded.
So I proposed a test, to better understand the language desired. Could I re-write a page of classic literature in such language? Could I recast a well loved tale using the words and structure of a formal system design document.
I chose Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen. It was a fairly difficult task to mangle Ms Austen’s work into the shape desired. However, with this task complete I presented the result to my employer, who was pleased with the outcome. From that day forward my work output maintained this terse, simplified language and structure. My more verbose habits I retain in other pursuits. https://gordonhart.substack.com/
This success is not quite the end of the story. After all, I had worked hard upon this fragment and was keen to broadcast this success to my colleagues. All engineers, who labour in those corporate spaces where incredible technology is born.
They took a look at my work and commented with a consensus. Most had never read Pride and Prejudice, or any Jane Austen at all. Rest assured, they would if Ms Austen had taken the trouble to express herself more clearly with the structure and language of engineering concept design.
My original effort is published here. Think of this as an extension to the question I asked my colleagues. If sufficient readers sign up to this newsletter, and in this single figures should suffice, this should offer sufficient motivation to continue the tale.
Dr Gordon Hart
Or if this style is not quite to your taste, perhaps you have and engineering friend who might appreciate the work