It's an interesting question because I am not sure that "good writing" can be separated from content subject matter. George Orwell's "Politics and the English

It's an interesting question because I am not sure that "good writing" can be separated from content subject matter. George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" is a the standard reading advice in this context [0]. However, in many ways it is outdated, though it still resonates because we all dislike gaseous bloviators. The quality is inseparable;e from the message. So consider this [1] reply to a commenter yesterday. Giving the strongest interpretation and assuming the commenter was writing in good faith, s/he experienced what is by all reasonable standards "a good essay" as awful, seemingly because they bitterly disagree with the message. Therefore, I don't think one can ordinarily experience prose in isolation as "good", even if technically faultless. The message is part of the reading experience. The contrary also applies. I'll be down-voted to hell for saying it [2] but I personally find Paul Graham (who writes here frequently) as rather anodyne in style. The topics he chooses are interesting however little is ventured in colour. [0] https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwell/essays-and-other-works/politics-and-the-english-language/ https://www.orwellfoundation.com/the-orwell-foundation/orwel... [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=39737184 https://news.ycombinator.com/context?id=39737184 [2] which might prove my point that acceptability of message trumps all other qualities in the experience of reading.