Re: Grammar

I tend to agree with D. as well. It seems like the pattern is that only those who
have mastered the rules know how to break them effectively. Dali's early stuff was
pretty imitative sometimes. Joyce wrote some nearly perfect conventional short
stories before he started representing some kind of consciousness more and more
directly. And on and on.

Jim

John P Baumgardner wrote:

> If I may add my 2 cents:
> 1. D.'s thoughts resonated with me. Also, we can more deeply (and fully)
> appreciate a piece of writing, art or literature when we know the precedent
> that the writer/artist is transcending.
> 2. "Transcending precedent?" We should keep in mind where rules of
> grammar and spelling come from. They are not laws of physics that have
> always been and will remain, rules that we can only observe. These "rules"
> are only a record of what has been agreed upon as the norm. Yes, the
> precedent. They will continue to evolve as language does. Education can
> help it evolve intelligently.
>
>
> "D."
> <dromanski@adelphia.n To: bananafish@roughdraft.org
> et> cc:
> Sent by: Subject: Re: Grammar
> owner-bananafish@roug
> hdraft.org
>
>
> 09/10/02 10:50 AM
> Please respond to
> bananafish
>
>
>
> I have to come out of the lurker baseboards to join this discussion
> about grammar and language. There are, obviously, two camps here--the
> Adherents and Defenestrators--in the grammar trenches. A recap shows that
> the Adherents follow every rule closely and, often enough, correct those
> who show a lack of knowledge of said rules; the Defenestrators are those
> who, naturally, see the rules of grammar as only for those fussy types who
> insist on correct usage and choose not to worry about them in their own
> communicative attempts via the written word.
> A couple of thoughts have run madly through my brain as this discussion
> has raged: 1) I had an American Lit professor who, in a contained, but
> agitated manner, commented on the poor writing quality of essays handed in
> for one assignment by saying that when you write, you put your credibility
> on the line every time. By neglecting rules of spelling and grammar, you
> only degrade your credibility in the eyes of your audience, was the essence
> of his lecture that morning. This particular admonition by him has never
> left me, and, moreover, has become a quiet voice of reminder in my head
> every time I write for an audience beyond a casual friend or family member.
> 2) With regard to those I admire in the usual creative fields--Literature,
> Music, or Art--I have found that I admire those artists who, more than
> likely, knew the typical rules, but either broke them outright in their
> attempts, or broke them when the purpose suited their momentary needs. Who
> would you rather have? Someone who knows the rules and makes informed
> decisions as to whether to follow them or not in a given situation? Or
> someone who obviously doesn't know or care to know the rules and runs amok
> all the time, flouting them all the while anyway?
> Questions such as "do we always have to follow the rules?" and "isn't
> strict rule following stifling to creativity?" or are, to me, a bit silly
> in all of this. Why can't someone who knows the rules of grammar, and is
> ordinarily very mindful of them, be creative by knowing when and where
> effective breakage can be done? I'm sure there are several avant-garde
> writers (artists, musicians, too) who know the rules as well as any
> grammarian, but use the rules and break them to their advantage constantly.
> Also, what is wrong with taking a few minutes out of your day to learn a
> grammatical rule (the uses of the semi-colon here) so that if you run into
> a situation where one is to be used, you can make a better choice as to
> whether or not to use it? Teachers, editors, and the general public,
> naturally, run the gamut from the strictest of Adherents to the most blase
> of Defenestrators. No one single person is likely to agree with your point
> of view at a given moment, hence the varied and intense reactions within
> this discussion. To me the essence of creativity isn't about whether you
> know or break the rules, rather it's about the choices made during the
> creation itself and what you bring to the work. The rules of grammar can
> guide or weigh you down--that is YOUR choice. Grammar has its place and
> its purposes, remember that, as my professor might have said.
>
> Feel free to pick this apart (grin)
>
> D.
>
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