Summer of difference and DifferAnce

Having/making time to read theory:

Currently reading A Teaching Subject by Joseph Harris.. Probably old news to many as it was published in 96 but I'm really taken in by it. Yesterday I was reading his deconstruction of the term community while they were passing the sacrement, the very epitome a "consensus" ritual, in my Mormon ward. I'm intrigued by his discussion of the "public" classroom which is a kind of democratic space but I'm also aware of the critiques of this kind of idealized space. Favorite quote: "I don't want no Jesus in my promised land" (Lester Bangs when discussing the Clash) which Harris then reworks as a commentary on writing classes: "I don't want no Jesus and I don't want no Socrates either."

Speaking of Socrates, I've also made some progress (only like 1400 pages left:) on The Rhetorical tradition by Herzberg and Bizzel. I just finished reading, well if one calls my attempt reading, Phaedrus. I'm amazed at how the issues have stayed the same over so many years, though I have to say I tired quickly of the condescending straw man approach of the dialogues. Had a nice moment when I ran into Theuth and Thamus' discussion of writing: Theuth claims it is the "elixir of memory and wisdom" but Thamus counters "You have invented an elixir not of memory but of reminding." Of course Socrates goes on to compare writing to painting, noting that words can't defend themselves. What interested me in this was I recently finished Stephens's The rise of the image, the fall of the word where he uses Thamus'/Socrates' attack on writing as proof that we often focus on the weaknesses of a new technology rather that its eventual potententialities. Stephens' ultimately argues that we have barely tapped into the potentials of image, video, tv. In this sense the Neil Postmans of the world (and everyday derision of the couch potatoe) are missing the mark just as Socrates was concering writing centuries ago.

I love it when a writer can help me see behind-around-through what I've become used to seeing as normal. But also it's dismaying how much work, time, energy, and luck it takes in order to put into the background a view I've taken up in order to see something anew.