It seems to me that invention must be a social act if one is to go by the number of references to other authors, philosophers, rhetors, and various others mentioned by LeFevre. One needs a map to make it through. The number of names contained in the work is confusing and make the reading choppy and cumbersome. Perhaps this is because I’m watching for her references to others because of the “map”, so I wondered if anyone else found this overwhelming.
I agree with most of the ideas she brings forward, which is somewhat disconcerting because I am one of the stubborn ones who tends to think of writing as a solitary venture. Yet, it is true that we rely on the knowledge of others in order to put forth a piece that is understandable and as well developed as possible. Yet, on the side of the stubbornness to consider it a solitary act, it is only her name that appears on the cover. While she certainly acknowledges everyone else, it does seem a bit contradictory that she didn’t put “and others” behind her name. It is an interesting read.
I like the fact that her ideas not only come from those who write about writing. She is pulling in authors of philosophy, psychology, and any number of other fields making this a cross discipline piece. I think that this adds depth to her argument, but again I feel that the number of references is confounding. Frankly, I do wish she had more of her own to say between quotes and paraphrases.
2 comments:
There are quite a few names in LeFevre; my reading process has ended up involving skimming from name to name, in some cases, and making notes about what those guys have contributed to the discourse. Reading that way really reinforces the sense of the book as a social product, with LeFevre acting as maestro, or maybe even dj.
I agree, and because I'm also making a mind map, I felt that her work was quote-heavy. On the one hand, it seemed essential to prove her argument that (1) a lot of people in other disciplines agree with her (2) writing is not a lone act but rather a cacophony of voices. On the other hand, I think that my brain is trained to look at a page and seek out a lone "voice" to listen to -- that's the way I've been taught my whole life to read. "But what do YOU think?" I often ask the student who uses block quotations. Perhaps if we are to buy into the social nature of writing (and I wish this book was more focused on the entire writing process rather than just invention) we need to think about the way we read and process an author's "own" words and the words of others.
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