Eng. 609 – Week 10 Blog 1

Listening to Professor Glascott, I was reminded and so wanted to muse on Aristotle’s topoi concerning authority. Aristotle states that citing experts lends credibility to one’s argument; however, following an authorities lead can also produce credibility in our own abilities. Professor Glascott laid out her circuitous route to her doctorate, and I felt a kinship. I did not come back to school to become an English scholar, I came back to enhance my composition skills, yet I found myself wholeheartedly drawn into English studies. My circuitous route has been fashioned at times on cartographies laid down by those who have come before me, those who have become authorities in their fields. Thanks to them, I’m enjoying my own path to authority…

Professor Glascott’s talk also intrigued me in regards to her visit to the Huntington. Earlier in the quarter, we learned of the Huntington’s collection, and at the time I paused to mull over my own excitement at the possibility of actually touching one of these old texts. Being book “geeks”, I don’t think most people understand the excitement we feel at the possibility of holding one of these ancient texts with its musky smell and pungent wet dog aroma. I guess that is the joy of being an authority—no need to care what others think. After all this time and effort, we deserve to feel comfortable and confident in the value of the words we cherish, the texts that bind them and the research that leads us to them.