[lbo-talk] Kenneth Burke

[Carrol Cox]

Kenneth Burke's prose style led to the most serious disagreement in the
history of the University of Chicago over the judgement of a graduate
paper.

The student had been influenced by Burke.

Some members of the committee flunked his paper.

Other members gave it an A.

I think one can critiicize _particular_ instances of a style of writing
(simple, complicated, pomo, renaissance, ghetto slang). I've come to
think it really pretty stupid to criticize any style in the abstract.
Neither can one praise any style in the abstract, but only particular
instances of it.

General criticisms of a general category almost always collapse into
pretty banal tautology.

Carrol