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Maybe this one will get through .... Neil Besner Chair, English Department University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 2E9 Phone: (204) 786-9294 Fax: (204) 774-4134 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 11:18:21 -0500 (CDT) From: Neil Besner <[log in to unmask]> To: CASLL/Inkshed <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: writing about literature Hi Russ and all. Russ, see below, please. Neil Besner Chair, English Department University of Winnipeg 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 2E9 Phone: (204) 786-9294 Fax: (204) 774-4134 On Fri, 17 Jul 1998, Russ Hunt wrote: > Cathy's right, I think; the "academic essay" (and she's also right > that it's not a homogenous genre) is "an excuse to get at these > other issues." What I still wonder is why it's so universal to > create situations in which the writing we use to get at other things > has to be so entirely without authentic, intrinsic purposes, writing > written to demonstrate knowledge or ability rather than to persuade, > amuse, engage, inform, etc. And I wonder whether the fact that class > essays are so rhetorically peculiar makes it harder to get at things > like, in Cathy's list, > Am I reading correctly, Russ, when I understand you to be saying, above, that the academic essay is typically "entirely without authentic, instrinsic purposes"? If that is more or less what you intend, could you elaborate a bit? Or have I misunderstood? The second part of the sentence is a bit puzzling as well. Are you distinguishing between (inauthentic?) writing that is written "to demonstrate knowledge or ability" and, on the other hand, writing that "persuades, amuses, engages, informs, etc."? As if the two purposes and intentions were mutually exclusive? And the academic essay falls into the first camp? Or have I misunderstood you here again? My questions are not, obviously, unmotivated. To begin with, an academic essay that is persuasive and engaging, as I understand it, may often also demonstrate knowledge and ability. And it might be a better academic essay if it accomplishes several of these goals. Cheers, Neil > > --a rhetorical approach to writing and reading > > --an analytical attitude to language. > > She says, > > > It's struck me for some time that the academic essay is only a > > device to get at these kinds of far more important issues. It's > > like a public relations effort. Students often believe that > > they need to write in the genre of the academic essay. > > And it's not only true that they believe it, it's true that they need > to. But I'm not convinced that's a good thing, or that it's > unavoidable. > > -- Russ > __|~_ > Russell A. Hunt __|~_)_ __)_|~_ Aquinas Chair > St. Thomas University )_ __)_|_)__ __) PHONE: (506) 452-0424 > Fredericton, New Brunswick | )____) | FAX: (506) 450-9615 > E3B 5G3 CANADA ___|____|____|____/ [log in to unmask] > \ / > ~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.StThomasU.ca/hunt/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ >