Now that classes are over, I'm diving into research for my ASLE paper and other projects, and even at this early date I am already tired of seeing scholarship that starts off with a lame "This book is about [something interesting]" or "This article will consider [something else]."
Listen up, scholars! The opening line is the first opportunity to make an impression on a reader, to grab the reader by the eyeballs and make him or her pay attention. "This book is about" just doesn't do it. I suppose this sort of opening line would be helpful to the sort of reader who picks up a book entirely at random without any prior awareness of the topic of the book and without any ability to discern what the topic might be based on the title or cover blurb, but really: how many readers get to the opening line of a scholarly tome without first developing some inkling of its general topic? And why would anyone want to cater to such lazy readers?
And yet this opening move seems to be multiplying like kudzu across the academic writing environment. Will somebody please make it stop?!
1 comment:
What's interesting is that I often use that phrase (or, on the occasion of a grant application "give us money because....") to get the writing started. Later on I revise it out and write a real introduction. I think that if the students revised, they would see how ridiculous it sounds. Perhaps a peer-review session would help?
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