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Authentic Writing
In typical academic circles, texts must be critiqued, mined for the obfuscated meanings they hide, and shown to reveal larger, broader meanings than what are initially evident. To engage in this type of writing is to perform an authentic version of scholarship. But what if a scholar chooses instead to write without critique? What if they write about travelling, their children, food, grocery shopping, frozen garlic bread, sandwiches, condiments, falafel, yoga, and moments that normally wouldn’t be considered scholarly? Can the writing still be scholarly? Can scholarly writing be authentic if its topics comprise the everyday?
In Authentic Writing, Jeff Rice uses this question to trace a position regarding critique, the role of the scholar, the role of the personal in scholarship, the banal as subject matter, and the idea of authenticity. He explores authenticity as a writing issue, a rhetorical issue, a consumption issue, a culture issue, and an ideological issue. Rather than arguing for a more authentic state or practice, Rice examines the rhetorical features of authenticity in order to expand the focus of scholarship.
In Authentic Writing, Jeff Rice uses this question to trace a position regarding critique, the role of the scholar, the role of the personal in scholarship, the banal as subject matter, and the idea of authenticity. He explores authenticity as a writing issue, a rhetorical issue, a consumption issue, a culture issue, and an ideological issue. Rather than arguing for a more authentic state or practice, Rice examines the rhetorical features of authenticity in order to expand the focus of scholarship.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published April 20, 2021
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 13, 2024
Authentic Writing is an astonishing book. In fact, it's just the kind of book you'd expect from a university administrator who is fed up with all this critique stuff but still needs to produce writing.
What topics are discussed?
The authenticity of shopping at Whole Foods.
The authenticity of avoiding Subway.
The authenticity of craft beer and homemade noodles.
The authenticity of not going to eat at Chick Fil A.
The authenticity of looking down your nose at people who don't make their sandwiches from scratch.
This randomly selected portion of the book's index will hint at some of Jeffrey Rice's other areas of braying meritocratic superiority:
banality, 3, 6–8, 10, 15, 20–33, 35, 42, 48,
53, 55, 58, 61–62, 64, 73, 91, 97–98,
102–3, 115, 117–18, 120–21, 128–29, 136,
139, 150, 170, 174–75, 178, 187, 194, 212,
214
bathroom, 25, 28, 31, 35, 40, 137–41, 149,
153, 209
Barthes, Roland, 5, 18–37, 41, 54, 61,
64–65, 67–69, 92, 94–95, 99, 102,
109–11, 119, 124, 126, 132, 136, 138,
142–43, 158, 180, 198
beer, 8, 14, 21, 24, 29–30, 32, 34–36, 40,
44, 48, 63–69, 72, 87, 89–96, 100, 106,
109–10, 114, 121–24, 127–29, 132, 138,
140–41, 199–203, 205–6
Benjamin, Walter, 9–13, 21–22, 37–39, 71,
97, 128, 208....
Berry, Wendell, 58–59, 61, 69, 108, 141,
210
Rice tries hard to best Barthes' Mythologies, including at length his notes on the authenticity of parenting, tv food shows, and the prefab cuisine of Las Vegas.
Ugh.
What topics are discussed?
The authenticity of shopping at Whole Foods.
The authenticity of avoiding Subway.
The authenticity of craft beer and homemade noodles.
The authenticity of not going to eat at Chick Fil A.
The authenticity of looking down your nose at people who don't make their sandwiches from scratch.
This randomly selected portion of the book's index will hint at some of Jeffrey Rice's other areas of braying meritocratic superiority:
banality, 3, 6–8, 10, 15, 20–33, 35, 42, 48,
53, 55, 58, 61–62, 64, 73, 91, 97–98,
102–3, 115, 117–18, 120–21, 128–29, 136,
139, 150, 170, 174–75, 178, 187, 194, 212,
214
bathroom, 25, 28, 31, 35, 40, 137–41, 149,
153, 209
Barthes, Roland, 5, 18–37, 41, 54, 61,
64–65, 67–69, 92, 94–95, 99, 102,
109–11, 119, 124, 126, 132, 136, 138,
142–43, 158, 180, 198
beer, 8, 14, 21, 24, 29–30, 32, 34–36, 40,
44, 48, 63–69, 72, 87, 89–96, 100, 106,
109–10, 114, 121–24, 127–29, 132, 138,
140–41, 199–203, 205–6
Benjamin, Walter, 9–13, 21–22, 37–39, 71,
97, 128, 208....
Berry, Wendell, 58–59, 61, 69, 108, 141,
210
Rice tries hard to best Barthes' Mythologies, including at length his notes on the authenticity of parenting, tv food shows, and the prefab cuisine of Las Vegas.
Ugh.
Displaying 1 of 1 review