Discursive1 a: moving from topic to topic without order : rambling b: proceeding coherently from topic to topic
2: marked by analytical reasoning
3: of or relating to discourse <discursive practices>
Note the conflict between a and b in the first sense. The definitions are directly opposed, and can mean the difference between panning and praising (depending on the work).
Scenario 1: A scholar strives to "proceed coherently" in his thesis, and avoids "rambling" at all costs. A critic calls his writing discursive. How should he react?
Scenario 2: A poet aims to disorient his readers with parataxis and stream-of-consciousness. A critic pans his work for being too discursive. Should he assume the critic understood his aim but thought it was overdone? Or should he think the critic missed the point altogether? Or should he worry that the critic understood the point but believed him to be a failure at the art of meaningful rambling?
Note: Definition came from Merriam-Webster Online
Scenario 1: A scholar strives to "proceed coherently" in his thesis, and avoids "rambling" at all costs. A critic calls his writing discursive. How should he react?
Scenario 2: A poet aims to disorient his readers with parataxis and stream-of-consciousness. A critic pans his work for being too discursive. Should he assume the critic understood his aim but thought it was overdone? Or should he think the critic missed the point altogether? Or should he worry that the critic understood the point but believed him to be a failure at the art of meaningful rambling?
Note: Definition came from Merriam-Webster Online
2 comments:
1. Language is in itself unclear. This is why writers need to compose clear sentences and paragraphs.
2. Meaning depends on the context.
3. If the scholar “strives to "proceed coherently" in his thesis, and avoids "rambling" at all costs” and his “proceeding coherently” is CLEAR, then “discursive” is 1b. The scholar knows what job he or she has done. (Here a note: you say “How should he react” where “he” is the scholar. If you use “he,” your readers will think that you are gender biased, and that for you men are more important than women are. You may want to use “she” or scholar(s) and use they. This is an English thing, in Italian, for instance, such issue doesn’t exist).
4. I shouldn’t even consider the second scenario because I don’t think there such a thing like a “discursive” poem. Again, why a poet should “aim to disorient her (you used again “his”)readers?” It should be the contrary, a poet should steer his or her readers more than disorienting them.
5. I think you should cite that this particular definition of “discursive” comes from the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.
Todd Bursztyn Says: Thanks Anna, although I did cite the source....and "they" is grammatically incorrect as a singular pronoun, even though it is technically gender-neutral.
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