Return of the Favorites

Since I have significantly less reading to do during the summer, I like to read books I don't have the opportunity for during the academic year*. In rapid succession, I consumed The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and The Lady of the Snakes, not to mention reading all sorts of magazines and other publications. What can I say--I love to read!

Right now, however, I'm working my way through a permanent favorite: The Lord of the Rings. I came home one day to Lance watching the films, which reminded me that I hadn't read the books in a year or two. So I picked up The Fellowship of the Ring and was quickly reminded of how wonderful a storyteller Tolkien really is. I could go on and on about why I love these books (including having done research on them**--nothing like immersing yourself in a topic to solidify your feelings about it!), but I'll just list a few reasons:

• In his essay "On Fairy-Stories," Tolkien argues that the mark of a good story is its ability to pull you--and keep you--into a Secondary World. His own fiction does just that: while I'm reading The Lord of the Rings, I'm in Middle-earth, walking with the hobbits. Enchantment, pure and simple.
• Tolkien is painstaking with his attention to detail: dates, moon-phases, maps, geography, etc. It really enriches the story and makes it into something believable. Even his made up languages sound possible, not...well, made up. Most fantasy books fail in this regard because the names and vocabularies aren't rooted or consistent.
• The structure: but only because I wrote my thesis on the that, so I really pay attention to how the story is set up, and I marvel at how simple--and yet complex--it really is.
• Tolkien plays around a lot with different ways of being a hero. The hobbits don't look heroic, yet they are the ones who can best resist the temptations of the One Ring. Boromir looks every inch the hero, yet he is seduced by the promise of power. Aragorn is far more than he appears, as the story reveals. All that is gold does not glitter...
  

Anyway, if you haven't read them (I'm looking at you), you should. Especially since I know you already have the first book in hand...

*Yes, I know I should be doing thesis reading. But I've been working on it and talking to people! So ha!

**My Honors senior thesis. I really wish I had spent more time on it--which I may still.

Lovely.

Let us take the time to admire a lovely piece of writing:

Imagine a Carthage sown with salt, and all the sowers gone, and the seeds lain however long in the earth, till there rose finally in vegetable profusion leaves and trees of rime and brine. What flowering would there be in such a garden? Light would force each salt calyx to open in prisms, and to fruit heavily with bright globes of water--peaches and grapes are little more than that, and where the world was salt there would be greater need of slaking. For need can blossom into all the compensations it requires. To crave and to have are as like as a thing and its shadow. For when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly as when one longs to taste it, and when is the taste refracted into so many hues and savors of ripeness and earth, and when do our senses know any thing so utterly as when we lack it? And here again is a foreshadowing--the world will be made whole. For to wish for a hand on one's hair is all but to feel it. So whatever we may lose, very craving gives it back again. Though we dream and hardly know it, longing, like an angel, fosters us, smooths our hair, and brings us wild strawberries.

--Marilynne Robinson Housekeeping, pg. 152-3.

Friday (Re)Visions

I feel amazing today. At least in comparison to yesterday, where I felt like stopped up...well, things that are stuffy. The decision to miss class was a wise one, as I was able to rest (and even knit a little!)

Currently, I'm working on a paper revision that I'm feeling really good about. When I turned it in originally, I thought it was terrible, but a conference with my professor showed me that while my writing was rough in spots, my ideas were sound. The confidence that she inspired has been helping me massively with this revision. No longer hesitating and wondering if I can think competently, I've been boldly editing and adding supporting evidence to my points. Last night I even drew a cool connection that I hadn't really thought about before that supports one of my minor points! How cool is that? I may post the best bits here, but we'll see. She's supposed to let us know if she thinks it's publishable!

I'm glad that I took Intro to Grad Studies. Not only is my professor fun and brings us cookies, and not only am I learning a good foundation for future academic pursuits, I'm learning to be a more confident academic and a better writer. It's a lot of hard work, but how measureless are my gains?

Uggh, Allergies

I'm seriously contemplating missing class tonight due to my watery eyes, congested head, and inability to breathe quietly. If it weren't a one-meeting-a-week class, I wouldn't hesitate as much. I pause, however, because I'd hate to miss a week's worth of class, and we are starting to talk about Housekeeping tonight. I'm halfway through it, and Robinson is a wonderful writer. Her descriptions are lyrical and poetic, and she knows how to spin a tale.

I have yet to decide. I'll probably go home after work and see how I feel after I take the decongestant that I have lurking in my medicine cabinet. Right now, though, I find the thought of sitting through three hours--even if talking about such a beautiful book--unbearable. And we will be discussing the book next week too.

Reverse That Colon!

I just want to take the time to appreciate a new writing trick I learned in Intro to Grad Studies: the reverse colon. I used it in this post to my personal satisfaction, and I felt that it warranted its own post.

Let us observe:

Time, space, death: one becomes aware of certain realities when jumping into deep water for the first time.

As opposed to:

One becomes aware of certain realities when jumping into deep water for the first time: time, space, death.

Both are certainly acceptable constructions. But it's as White discusses in his chapter "An Approach to Style" (see The Elements of Style, Ch. 5) that there are correct sentences, then there are sentences that catch the eye. Those eye-catchers have style.

The reverse colon in my example added that extra oomph. By flopping the elements of the sentence, I added a bit of mystery "Time, space, death". What on earth could I be describing? I've grabbed your attention (especially with the death element, which I have to thank Lance for--go second readers!). You want to know what could possibly follow that. Then I introduce the theme of my post, jumping into the pool.

The mystery and intrigue is removed by placing "time, space, death" at the end of the sentence. While the sentence is technically correct, it does lack a little glitter; it's wearing a denim jumper and loafers while the other one is wearing a red dress and stiletto* heels. The denim jumper goes by with a glance, the red dress gets a long stare.

Besides, it's a really neat element to use in writing. And it's so simple--you can add a little spice to your writing by simply moving around pieces of a sentence. A unique rhythm, an attention-grabbing series: both examples contain the same words, but the reader can hear a distinct difference.**

*"Stiletto" used to refer to a specific type of dagger. If you read much Gothic fiction, stilettos are almost as bountiful as castles and craggy mountains.

**Okay, so this example is a little contrived. But you get the point.

How Not to Write, Pt 2

Seriously, readers...you did not take up my call to shred terrible writing. Am I the only one who gets pleasure out of ripping into poor writing and making it better? (Perhaps I am.)

As promised, here is my edited version. I actually could do two--fixing this one while leaving the content largely intact, and then a total rewrite (with the addition of specific, concrete details). I'm too lazy, however, to do the total rewrite, so I'll just leave that one to your imaginations. However, I do make suggestions for good places to stick details.

This letter is in recommendation for [Student Smith], an applicant for the [People Who Gave Us Money] Scholarship.

I have known [Student] for 12 years in several settings: as a student at [X] School District, as a member the [Random Church] Youth Group, and as a [academic discipline] student at the University. I have had the pleasure of working with him as both a youth adviser and as a staff member in the [academic department].

Throughout high school, he consistently ranked at the top of his class. A constant favorite with his high school teachers, [Student] is well-known for his hard work and dedication in academics and extracurricular activities. [Here's a place for concrete examples--awards, etc.]

[Student] fills the roles as both a young leader and a devoted honor student; I have every expectation that he will be successful. As a leader, he sets an example for his peers, [actively participating in class and volunteering for projects]. Since entering the university, he has shown a remarkable level of interest and dedication to his college education. His above average GPA ranks him [nth] in the [level] class, proving [Student's] commitment to his academics and to his future career. I look forward to observing him further develop here at the university and as a future [career title].

I believe that [Student Smith] is an energetic, well-respected, and talented individual who represents the desired qualities in a [People Who Gave Us Money] Scholarship recipient. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

See? Isn't that a bit better? Even if it's too indefinite to be a good recommendation letter, at least it's more active and the sentences are not ugly, though perhaps just a little homely. It's assertive, and unlike the other one, is not repetitive and passive. Hopefully you think it is an improvement as well.

Writing Tip of the Week

Rereading The Elements of Style has been a rewarding experience. I don't know why I love this book so much--but it is a wonderful (and funny!) guide to style. I kept reading snippets of it out loud to Lance as we drove home from our weekend. So here's the tip of the week:

6. Do not overwrite
Rich ornate prose is hard to digest, generally unwholesome, and sometimes nauseating. If the sickly-sweet word, the overblown phrase are your natural form of expression, as is sometimes the case, you will have to compensate for it by a show of vigor, and by writing something as meritorious as the Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.
When writing with a computer, you must guard against wordiness. The click and flow of a word processor can be seductive, and you may find yourself adding a few unnecessary words or even a whole passage just to experience the pleasure of running your fingers over the keyboard and watching your words appear on the screen. It is always a good idea to reread your writing later and ruthlessly delete the excess.

I love White's description of being seduced by the keyboard. I know that I'll often add another sentence to a paragraph because I want the paragraph to look a certain way on the screen--silly, I know, but I usually edit everything viciously (because of Reminder 5).

I also learned something that I didn't realize when I took the grammar mastery test about the construction "one of those [NOUN] who"--you must use the plural form of the verb with it. I think that answers the only thing I missed.

Renewed Reading

As I was finishing up a reading packet for class tomorrow, I found myself struck by the absolute beauty of some of the sentences. We had three short readings, one of which ("The Philosophy of Composition by Richard Atlick and/or John Fenstermaker) was about good academic writing, and the other two concerned themselves with the literary "Canon Wars".

All three pieces were marvelously written, and often funny--Atlick/Fenstermaker used his footnotes to make funny jokes with an important point about the use of footnotes. I kept laughing the further I got through the piece--I'm sure Lance and his parents would have thought I was silly for enjoying a scholarly article so much. (Just as he laughs at me for adoring The Elements of Style).

It was in the last piece, (Katha Pollitt--"Canon to the Right of Me") when I discovered that I was highlighting a sentence just because it was such a well-crafted bit of wordsmithing that I remembered why I'm in graduate school in the first place--to read lovely bits of writing (poetical, fictional, or scholarly) and to admire that beauty and attempt to be like them. Spending part of last semester with Jameson didn't help, since his writing lacks the grace and elegance of more reader-friendly writers.

I'm glad that I am being told to leave behind the purposefully obscure, horrible pieces of writing. Even if I have to study them, I can mock their terrible writing and strive to be an academic that can pride herself on the quality of her craft. I would like others to read what I write and feel that sheer enjoyment of the well-written sentence, as well as learn something interesting. Those academics who feel the need to be obtuse are idiots. No one will ever appreciate their prose style, and fewer will understand their perhaps brilliant points than if they had chosen to write like Terry Eagleton or Jerome McGann.

It does me good to be reminded every now and then that I'm not going into English to study and learn more about literature--I'm going into it because I love the written word, and I love the beauty and power of well-used words.