This thread is informative enough that I may just bookmark it.

I take issue to someone's stating: "The Elements of Style is a good book, but the CMoS is a higher authority."

While this may literally be the case; the literary community commonly accepts TEoS, and it is recommended reading in a lot of cases.

I have had instructors attempt to teach some of Strunk & White, picking and choosing, while disregarding the rest. I believe this is foolhardy; one should stick to a manual of style either wholly or not at all. One should choose the accepted manual that best fits their own style.

So again, to the original poster:

It is a matter of style.

I would much prefer an auteur misusing a device, as long as they are consistent, to an auteur overusing a device.

My girlfriend reads the "Twilight" series, and is often confused by a classic Stephanie Meyer usage of the dash. It may just be my bias, I hate to use dashes, but Stephanie is murdering the dash throughout her series.