[lit-ideas] Re: why can't the english (professors) learn how to speak?
- From: David Ritchie <profdritchie@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2012 22:36:04 -0800
On Dec 21, 2012, at 9:12 PM, John Wager wrote:
>
> Having said all of that, I must say I'm impressed by quite a few British
> books being written for a general public in which fairly dry subjects are
> written about in intelligent and engaging ways.
>
> But these seem to all be written by slightly more senior faculty, whose
> reputations with jargon is already well-established. Heaven forbid someone
> attempt a popular book before one's reputation is made in "serious" journals
> or books.
>
> In my own case, what drew me to my advisor for the dissertation was partly
> the "style" of his own writing; it was elegant and effective. He
> actually despised the "jargonistic" approach to philosophy, so much so that
> he had stopped attending APA meetings, which also meant he was of very little
> use to me in making connections for my first job. Ah, well.
>
>
Thanks to John. These are issues which bother me, also folk on this list, all
of whom seem united on what becomes more and more an old-fashioned issue:
clarity. We, academics who are still in harness, sit through meetings in which
the language and the declared goal seem to diverge, listen to presentations
that are stuffed with blither; we agree that we will declare objectives and
measure with rubrics and (personal note) I wonder whether there is still room
for a clear sentence or two. It is as if we are all lost on a ring road
somewhere in France and the signpost says "Toutes Directions" and somehow we
think that's fine and we are getting somewhere. If you want to feel old, bring
Orwell's name up, or Graves' "Reader Over Your Shoulder."
What else makes you people feel the years passing?
Grump away. 'tis the season.
David Ritchie,
ignoring the Mayans, hoping to publish something good soon from
Portland, Oregon
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