October 2014 -- Studies In Words

[Mary]

Owing to the impossibility of spoilers, we shall have one discussion topic this month.

[Mary]

Looked at the table of contents and noticed that many of the chapters differ widely in length. . . .

Just be sure to read the Introduction first. He defines some terms in that.

[Mary]

snort.

If you read the passage in the Intro about Julius Caesar and wonder what "physical" does mean there -- he'll explain it in the next chapter.

[Mary]

Got through "Nature", "Sad", and "Wit"

Even though "Nature" is easily the longest. Given that it runs everywhere through social structures, metaphysics, morals, and much more I suppose it would have to. "Wit" hits on a lot fewer of those, chiefly on literary criticism. And "Sad" brushes on morals. . . .

I have to admire the effects of semantic drift when a medieval author can say that a mother might seem cruel when she submits to her son's murder with a "sad visage."

[Mary]

I particularly like how a farmer can make a pig supernaturally fat.

But the chapter on "free" and "liberal" has a lot of interesting things on views of social classes.

[Mary]

And you have "Sense" which hits a lot of the history of thinking about thinking. And "simple" which hits a fair amount of moral history. And "consciousness and conscience" which hits both.

[Mary]

"World" and "Life" hit topics as broad as "Nature." But then "I dare say" is narrowly focused again. . .

The ending is perhaps the most useful chapter for a writer. What To Do with the knowledge gained here.