Review of Rewriting: How To Do Things with Texts by Joseph Harris

I finally finished Joseph Harris's book Rewriting: How To Do Things with Texts. It is the best book on academic writing I've encountered. Harris spoke at our TYCA-West conference this last fall (score for Counterintuitive and Antistrophe!). I was lucky enough to get him to sign a copy of the book. He wrote, "To Jason, Fellow Teacher and Critic of Dead Poets." Cool.

I won't try to summarize all of the wise and wonderful things Harris has to say about writing in this fine volume. Rather, let me focus on two things. First, I'm drawn to Harris's account of the intellectual work we're asking our students to do. Toward the end of the volume, Harris warns against introductions that seem to fully anticipate and therefore pin down what the essay will go on to say. He ties this proscription to a more positive account of what academic thinking and writing is about. "I have no quarrel with the need to define a clear plan of work," he says, "But you also want to develop a line of thinking in an essay, to explore its contradictions and stuck points and ambiguities, not simply to stake out a fixed position" (117). When we teach a writing course, Harris believes we're teaching "a habit of mind that resists quick closure and acknowledges the merits of competing interests and values" (125). One lesson I'll take away from this book, then, and hopefully import into my own courses is to place a greater emphasis on inquiry rather than argument.

In each of the main chapters, Harris describes the main intellectual moves in the writing process:

• Coming to Terms--describing how students actively read with purpose, how they make readings their own
• Forwarding--recirculating key ideas from a text in one's own writing
• Countering--not simply to oppose a text, but to supplement it, to view its account of a subject as "partial"
• Taking an Approach--focusing on the transformative moment in writing, where the student makes new knowledge after the work of coming to terms, forwarding, and countering

Harris's account of revision emphasizes the work of restating. He wants students to be able to answer the question, "What's your project?" He has students describe and restate their work, describe the purpose or goals of a particular piece. This seems to overlap with the work of reflection, but for me its more mechanical and, thus, actually more profound. When we ask students to reflect, we're often asking for a kind of false profundity. We want them to achieve some kind of critical distance on their own work and process in what is, perhaps, an impossible time frame. (I'm just now achieving critical distance on my twenties.) But asking students to restate in a shorter form their project is to aim for a more realistic target.

In his descriptions of his own courses, I was struck by how Harris provides a subject matter for his classes and asks his students to engage in serious intellectual work through writing: "a writing course needs a subject, to be centered on some substantive issue or question" (9).  Since I and some colleagues are in the process of tinkering with one of our writing courses, Harris's description gives me pause. In our course, we emphasize writing as a form of action in community or public contexts. In what way can we better join that vision of writing with writing as an intellectual endeavor?

Finally, this book made me think about my own academic writing process, particularly the long dark night of dissertation writing. On the one hand, Harris's book made me a little mad. Gee it would have been nice to have someone on my committee sit me down and take me through some of these steps. This book should be required reading for all humanities graduate students. Period. On the other hand, the book has given me new hope that I may yet have a worthy academic thought or two in me. Harris's book is enormously inspirational in that regard, though it doesn't come across as self-help, and I can't recall any long passages of explicit encouragement in the book. What's encouraging is that the process Harris describes is one I want to practice. I found myself last night finishing Harris's book and then immediately opening my laptop and adding a small chunk to my distinguished faculty lecture draft. Now I find myself writing this review.

x-posted

Comments

[discount coach]

If you find a forever friend, You feel happy and complete, Because you need not worry, You have a forever friend for life, And forever has no end.

[Brian]

Sounds like this book maybe constitute some enjoyable and knowledgable reading. Thank you for the insight.

[Amy Mitchell]

Great book, it would be a real guide for us to make an essays.

[iregdyu]

It is nice to find a site about my interest. My first visit to your site is been a bior the efforts you been putting on making your site such an interesting and informative place to browse through. I'll be visiting your site again to

[sale ugg boots]

I just walk around, suprised by your blog,please give more information.

[secured credit cards]

Great book, easy to follow and real guide. thanks

[Education]

some one says that there is no good friend in the world with out book,
so be the book reader its very useful and make your selves studios
thanks

[l arginine]

Very knowledgeable and substantial.

[MBT Mens Sandals]

This is a very good blog. I appreciate very much this text, thank you.

[kitchen]

Thank you for sharing. Very happy to see your article, I very much to like and agree with your point of view. Have a good time.

[interview coaching]

Well, credits cards are very convenient but it do has its consequences.
Use it wisely to prevent future conflicts.

[party bags]

Much on rewriting and reblogging skills! This book is superb! I created a very useful blog because of this.

[playmobil]

Thank you for sharing this article with us. I am looking forward for more great post here. Great post!

[plumbing]

I find it very interesting. Reading books like this will help me to widen my knowledge, not only in different aspects in life but something applicable in our lives.

[Annuity Factor]

Rewriting or paraphrasing is an important skill. It's a way of having the student process the information, reorganize it, and then regurgitate it in a form that's more understandable hopefully.

[Coach Outlet Store Online]

I am New Here,My name is Jesse and this is my first entry here. feel sometimes, that I have to learn a
lot, hope you guys have patient on me.Thank you for sharing the post.

[UGG Boots]

All sentences are about a little something or another person. The a little something or anyone that the sentence is about is called the topic on the sentence. From your blog, I see that, and study a thing I'd like. Thanks for sharing.

[oakley]

I am toallty wowed and prepared to take the next step now

[Secured Credit Cards]

Thanks for the review. I've been feeling a little burnt out myself and I think "Rewriting" may be just what I need to pull out of my slump. Looking forward to picking it up on my way home today! Thanks Jason.

[renlewei]

The blog article very surprised to me! Your writing is good. In this I learned a lot! Thank you!

[Best Running Shoes For Women]

Very good post with useful information. I really appreciate the fact that you approach these topics from a stand point of knowledge and information. Please keep on posting.

[Cheap Watches review]

It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about!

[Acer Laptop reviews]

It is quite unique,I really can't image how that could be!Do you like sports?I think jordan shoes are really wonderful!

[Global reviews]

Great resource! Thanks so much for sharing your wealth of information. I just started in this and I’m getting to know it better! Cheers, keep up the good work!

[Joe Milli]

Good book, good writter, and thanks to you for this good article.