On Jul 18,  9:51pm, Murray Pomerance wrote:
> Subject: Re: narrative vs. spectacle
> Again, we are trying to fit our experiences into the words we have for
> describing them.
 
snip
 
> I know this is going to sound churlish--forgive me--but don't we all know
> what a narrative is, and also what a spectacle is?  If not, then please
> also tell me what "define" is so I'd know how to "define" a "narrative."
> Why do so many contemporary academics insist on writing and speaking as
> though they don't have English?  Or some other language?  What on earth
> is the problem with writing plainly about what one sees, without having
> first to define "plainly" and "sees" and "what" and "about"?
 
Since I am perhaps one of those "contemporary academics", I feel the need to
respond, amicably of course.
 
You call for "wrinting plainly".  While I applaud this, it carries a *huge*
amount of baggage.  In the art of constructing meaning for someone *other* to
understand, the word "plainly" covers up a lot of grey area.  While I will
not insult you with asking for *plain* definitions of "plainly" or others,
what I recommended to Rich was for course work.  Like it or not, setting up a
few definitions in a paper goes a long way to enabling the most precise and
concise, for lack of a better phrase, transfer of meaning.  Sure, i fwe're
just shootin' the proverbial excrement about, say, "pop culture", you can
find a way into my meaning rather casually.  However, if I'm giving a paper
at a conference definitions are almost required, especially in "pop culture".
Is pop culture a cultural phenomenon?  A way of assessing the profits of a
cultural entity?  A hierarchical system of identifying cultural groups?  None
of the above?  All of the above?.  You get my point.  Likewise, "narrative"
holds as many if not more meanings.  All of which (or none of which) I or you
or anybody is conscious of.  When Rich does his paper (or whatever medium
he's using) to compare, combine and basically contort these words, he's gonna
need some common ground to stabilize his arguments.
     So, I agree, let's talk *about* stuff on this list in a really casual
way.  However, to assisst Rich in his endeavours (I'm an undergrad myself) I
thought I would give him a shove in a direction that would be useful to
start.  Who knows, maybe he tossed it out the window like you did with a
verbal beration of the academic "community" (whatever that is - like we have
neighbourhood watch and hold garage sales together).
 
Slammin'
 
--
R. Scott Burnham                         Ya never played baseball?
York University                          Well, come over here and let
North York, Canada                       me learn ya the game.
E-Mail: [log in to unmask]                          -Foghorn Leghorn
 
 
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