Down these mean streets ...

[David Morris]

--- Paul Nightingale <isread at btopenworld.com> wrote:
>
> you missed the distinction I made (I think quite explicitly) between critical
language that was acceptable (ie knowledge of modal auxiliaries, taught as part
of grammar within English/language studies) and critical language that might be
frowned upon still (ie the kind of critical theory that's, generally speaking,
ignored as being irrelevant to the 'proper appreciation' of literature). My
comment was flippant (perhaps too much so) as I went from "might blame
education" to "do blame education" - the reference to the earlier discussion,
one I now realise you probably 'missed' because I now remember you saying you
deleted everything.

OK, you weren't refering to MY education, per se, but the general lack of
"critical theory that's, generally speaking, ignored as being irrelevant to the
'proper appreciation' of literature."  But let's back up a bit.  Despite your
claim that I'm calling you an elitist, you've just passed over my question of
if it's possible to communicate the ideas you're aiming for without the jargon.
 That's where I started with all this.
> 
> It seems to me that you have to attack critical theory on the grounds of what
a given argument says, and how well it stands up to scrutiny; you don't dismiss
it just because its language is that of a particular "special activity or
group". However, to engage with theory you have to read it first; and you're
prepared to dismiss something you appear to have no knowledge of. If you wish
to prove me wrong on that score (because I still await your first serious
contribution to any discussion) I'm ready to discuss discourse theory with you.

I have a very limited knowlege of critical theory.  I have read some (not all)
of an introduction to Lacan called The Unconscious Structured Like a Language. 
I found it interesting.  So I have a concept of the nature of the gap between
the signifier and signified, but I by no means have mastered it.  I plan to go
back and finish it (starting over) soon.  But that focuses on psychology, so I
don't have an understanding of its literary application.

But now that we're talking politely - and we did get offtrack because of the
misunderstanding you mentioned above - can you answer my first question?  Do
these concepts need the jargon to survive?

David Morris


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