Why is it that in recent years the definite article the has become commonly attached to a description of a well-known person as if he or she were the only such person in the world?

For instance, one no longer says “paintings by cowboy artist Charles M. Russell.” Instead, it’s “paintings by the cowboy artist Charles M. Russell,” no doubt leaving the ghost of Frederic Remington a bit unsettled, not to mention the living, breathing members of an organization called the Cowboy Artists of America. In fact, if one Googles “cowboy artist,” a multitude of modern-day names appears before Remington’s, and still no Charley Russell. He’s obviously not the only cowboy artist of note.

One of the most annoying examples I’ve seen recently of what I consider a misuse of the definite article is in Joan Acocella’s otherwise entertaining and insightful critique of Dancing With the Stars, in the April 14 New Yorker (emphasis below is mine):

    “The new season kicked off last month with twelve stars:
    the comedian and magician Penn Jillette; the tennis
    champion Monica Seles; the rhythm-and-blues singer
    Mario; Jason Taylor, the Miami Dolphin’s defensive end;
    Kristi Yamaguchi, the gold-medal figure skater. . . .”

None of these people is the one and only in a category. There are many tennis champions, and Kristi is a gold-medal figure skater.

Elsewhere in the same New Yorker I came across “married to José Ferrer, the actor” and “Erica Jong, the novelist, essayist, and poet” and then in this week’s issue “by the novelist and short-story writer Mark Poirier.” What’s wrong with “married to actor José Ferrer” or “by novelist and short-story writer Mark Poirier”?

I don’t want you to think I’m beating up on the New Yorker unfairly; it just happens to be what I’ve been reading in the past day or so. I can assure you this construction is used in virtually all publications today, even in National Geographic, although I’ll continue to delete extraneous the’'s if I can.

In addition to being annoyed by this particular word usage, I’m also intrigued with how quickly and universally writers can adopt and advance a new construction. I’m probably one of the few left behind grumbling about abused definite articles.

By the way, I’m rooting for Jason Taylor to win Dancing With the Stars, even though Kristi Yamaguchi let her hair down and danced an amazingly sensuous rumba in this week’s show.

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