In Praise Of The New End Note And Internet Etiquette: Via

What I love best about coming from a rich tradition of amazing comparative literature theory and philosophy instructors at Sarah Lawrence College is my profound appreciation for my sources.

The first lesson I learned came in the form of a course evaluation from Arnold Krupat, in which he advised something along the lines of, “Do not allow the voices of your critics to overtake your own interpretation of the text. Do not be afraid to quibble with the words of those other writers before you.” This, I am learning only recently, has come to vastly inform how I interact with other people (writers, “writers”, or not) online: Form your opinion, and stick to it, and do not allow others to influence what you write about the topic (unless, of course, they provide a very good argument). It is not easy to stick with your own opinions while reading others’ online and not being attempted to run with them, just because of their eloquent articulations, name or stature in the online “community,” or marketing gambits. But it is, I have learned, in the years since that evaluation, supremely wonderful advice: Never be afraid to quibble with your critics. And never parrot their own opinions, or allow their voices to become your own.

The second lesson I learned came much more harshly, in an individual conference discussion I had with Bella Brodzki, on French symbolist poetry. “Where did you read that observation?” she asked me, archly, from across her desk, exhaling smoke from a Gauloises cigarette. “I…” I stammered. She interrupted me. “I want the title of the work and I want the name of the author and I want your take on it,” she said. I looked down at the scribbled notebook in my lap, and began to cry tears that I did not allow her to see. “Atherton. Never, ever cite something ambiguously. Be prepared to give everything along with your own interpretation. Cite and know who wrote it, what it was about, where it came from, and be able to cut it to shreds, if you need to do so.”

I choked back the tears as I lit my own Gauloises (do you think I would ask her for one of her own, after that?!).

Only far later that semester did I adopt a new obsession: the end notes of all of my papers. I paid specific attention to their creation and my writing of them, consulted the MLA to learn how I should cite them, and always, always, even if it was my own interpretation of an idea within my own text, if the idea came from someone else (even if I did, thank you, Arnold, quibble with it), I cited it.

I suppose it is because of this training that I try very hard to cite people on the Internet. It may not be their original content, but if I am posting it, “reblogging” it, or in any way referencing it because I learned about it from someone else, I via it. (Or, at least, I really do try to do so. I am quite sure infractions may be discovered in my online work, as they were back in Brodzki’s corner Bates office, in Bronxville, New York, on a fall day.)

I think that is only compulsory, don’t you?

A screen capture of an old end note of mine from those days follows. Because it took more work for me to research and type all of that then, than it takes for us to make one simple copy, paste, and “via” link, now.

[Also please don't crit my writing in that? It was like 199FIVE.]

Inspired by,

and (hello!) [VIA] Blakeley

Filed under: Academia, Blogging, Books, Editorials, Net Culture, New York, Philosophy, Writing , a-list, linkage, memories