From Chapter 8, (‘Doctrines of Statutory Interpretation’), Section 1, A. ‘Textual Canons’, 2 ‘Grammar Canons’, (f) ‘The Golden Rule (Against Absurdity) – and the Nietzsche Rule. of William N. Eskridge, Jr., Philip Fricket, and Elizabeth Garrett, Cases and Materials on Legislation: Statutes and the Creation of Public Policy, Thomson West, American Casebook Series, Saint Paul,Continue reading “Statutory Interpretation, the “Nietzsche Rule”, and Stevens and Scalia in Zuni”
Category Archives: Writing
Skream’s Where You Should Be, Eight Hours in Brooklyn, and Summer
I’ve written before, on this blog, about the “fine-grained, specific recall” of memories that listening to a song can bring about. I’m inclined to think that any time I pen a note of appreciation here about a particular piece of music, I will do so by also noting and paying attention to its associations; itContinue reading “Skream’s Where You Should Be, Eight Hours in Brooklyn, and Summer”
Why Write and All That – I: Bargains Struck
Two recent articles about writing, writers, and writing as a job–Tim Parks in the New York Review of Books blog and Seth Godin’s interview at Digital Book World–prompt me to take on the insufferably self-indulgent business of being self-referential. The issues covered in the pieces linked above should be familiar: Why write? Is writing aContinue reading “Why Write and All That – I: Bargains Struck”
Allison Arieff on Architecture and Jargon, and Why Ethical Theory Should Listen
Allison Arieff’s article, “Why Don’t We Read About Architecture” (New York Times, March 2nd, 2012), concludes, roughly, that the use of jargon in descriptions of architecture interferes with our appreciation of, and engagement with, the sciences and arts of the ‘built environment’. Arieff’s complaint is a familiar one in bemoaning jargon in fields of writingContinue reading “Allison Arieff on Architecture and Jargon, and Why Ethical Theory Should Listen”
Lawrence’s Rainbow Still Glistens
So much has been written about DH Lawrence‘s The Rainbow that further commentary is perhaps superfluous, but possible redundancy has never been much of an influence in decisions to write. So here I am, offering my dos pesos. The Rainbow, ostensibly the multi-generation history of the Brangwen family (which continues in Women in Love), isContinue reading “Lawrence’s Rainbow Still Glistens”
Chiasson on Pinsky: Meeting Poetry with More Poetry
Reviews of poets and poetry can often be tedious: the poet is sometimes trampled by the reviewer’s exegesis and analysis; sometimes we wish merely to be pointed toward the poem. But sometimes the reviewer can, in his responses, show his own poetic instinct. In his review of Robert Pinsky‘s Selected Poems (New York Review of Books,Continue reading “Chiasson on Pinsky: Meeting Poetry with More Poetry”
Russell on Marx as Excessively Practical Messiah and Schoolman
In his sometimes cranky, often witty, and always erudite History of Western Philosophy Bertrand Russell paints deflationary portraits of many members of the Western philosophical tradition. (Russell is particularly witty when dealing with Kant and Nietzsche; those treatments will soon form the subject of posts here). He also shows a rare talent for the artful digression,Continue reading “Russell on Marx as Excessively Practical Messiah and Schoolman”
Nietzsche on Bloggers and Blogging
Today, continuing my series of posts on In Nietzsche You Can Find a Line for Everything, I give you Nietzsche on bloggers and blogging. (The first two posts in this series drew on Human, All Too Human: A Book For Free Spirits, translated by RJ Hollingdale, Cambridge University Press, 1986 (this version includes Volume 2:Continue reading “Nietzsche on Bloggers and Blogging”
Provincialism’s Easy Allure Or, Writing Outward From The American Academy
In The Reactionary Mind, Corey Robin writes, As sophisticated as the recent literature about conservatism is, however it suffers from three weaknesses. The first is a lack of comparative perspective. Scholars of the American right rarely examine the movement in relation to its European counterpart. Indeed, among many writers it seems to be an articleContinue reading “Provincialism’s Easy Allure Or, Writing Outward From The American Academy”
Reflections on Translation – I: Accepting and Assessing Translations
Like any reader with a sufficiently long career, I have read many works in translation. In doing so, I have been aware of the distance between the author and myself, of being subject to the same constraints as any other reader of translated works is. Still, I have never ceased to be surprised when IContinue reading “Reflections on Translation – I: Accepting and Assessing Translations”
Samir Chopra 