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Eric:

Being generally as iconoclastic as the next guy;), I agree that
authority must be resisted; however, if we think we are going to change
those structures from the underside we are deluded.  There are enough
people co-opted into the system--heck, even junior faculty who are
better at scholarly scrounging than the classroom scrum--that inertia
will not be overcome.

Jim's suggestion of choosing more modest routes to open our exchanges of
ideas is a good one, but the issue is still about publishing rather than
about teaching.

btw, has anyone seen Robert Scholes new book _The Rise and Fall of
English: Reconstructing English as a Discipline_?  I saw the review in
the New York Times (MArch ninth) and it looks like it might be a good
one to stir up the hornet's nest (and relevant to this discussion).

From the review, Scholes point is that we need to de-emphasize teaching
literature as literature, elevate teaching of writing, and merge the two
into a useful discipline.  He regards English studies as irrelevant
because it prepares students for a life of contemplation only lived by
English Teachers.  (I think he needs to look at the lives of any
teacher; contemplation? ha).  anyway, I'd love to hear other reviews.

Rob Irish