When I was learning English in high school, the "standard" textbook compared English grammar with Chinese grammar, saying while in Chinese the noun is usually put in the first clause and its pronouns follow afterwards, no matter which one is the main clause and which ones are subordinate, in English the noun should be placed in the main clause and its pronouns in the subordinate clauses, regardless of the order of the clauses.
However, two native speakers, who answered my another question (What's the grammar of “was as far as ever from realizing his dream of an independent Italian kingdom”?), think different.
@Michael Harvey said "That 'rule' is often ignored."
@Java Latte said "For ease of reading, it is better to put the name in the first clause and the pronoun in the second clause. It is a matter of stylistic variation to swap them."
So I'm wondering whether there is a rule of arranging the noun and its pronouns, and if yes, what's the rule, or if no, i.e. there're only stylistic variations, which style is better/your favorite?
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