Uncommon Readers: Denis Donoghue, Frank Kermode, George Steiner, and the Tradition of the Common Reader Book

This book covers 18 theorists, 1965-1986, with an appendix of 12 great theorists of past times. I first encountered the collection in my first-year seminar on literary and critical theory at the University of Texas, Austin, in 2003. This summer I thought just for personal edification, I might take the book up and write a little blurb on each of its entries:

Chomsky, Noam. Aspects of the Theory of Syntax. Cambridge: M.I.T. Press, 1965. In the first section of his book, Chomsky develops the idea of a "deep structure" within the mind that helps us generate language. Only this essentially rationalist approach, modeled with mathematics, can explain how we produce and understand infinitely many sentences, for empiricist approaches oversimplify the complex, active agency of the mind in acquiring language. Chomsky's theory of language thus figures a debate between two theories of knowledge acquisition. I'll need to think a lot more on where I should take this idea in my own writing about culture. (As usual, Adams and Searle's introductory material seems to reveal unclear understanding of their own material. See p. 37, for example -- How do they expect us to see the difficulty of explaining our grammar simply from the revelation that the mind my use a recursive function? But the John is eager to please/John is easy to please example is much more satisfactory in this respect.)

When I was in college, State University of New York at Potsdam the English Department offered as a trial, Critical Theory course that could be credited for English or Political Science. I elected for it to go towards my Political Science major even though my minor was Communications, part of the English department.

The course was with Professor Keesey with Critical Theory Since 1965 by Hazard Adams and Leroy Searle (1986 - University Press of Florida) as the required text. This course and required reading remain at the core of my Civil Public Discourse advocacy. The reading itself has traveled with me for many years however got lost in a household move.

To the credit of the current SUNY Potsdam English Department Chair, his invaluable assistance in locating the book made it possible for me to locate it for replacement.

This is an invaluable resource and I highly recommend it for those already engaged in and those entering into Critical Theory, Linguistics, Governance and Societal; Civil Public Discourse. [Greg Kelly, SUNY Potsdam '89 Political Science~Communications]