The most disconcerting response I ever got was in the course of what wasn't
really a flame war, and was, naturally enough, on an academic list, Milton-L
to be precise, when a guy backchannelled me to say, plaintively, that he
really *wasn't as stupid as I was making him out to be.
The argument was turning on the Greek source of the doctrine of the Trinity
in John's Gospel, and I was aware that my knowledge was such that I even had
to check whether or not you spelled Johannine with one or two n's. (I did
this by ringing up -- seemed to me the obvious thing to do at the time, but
some surprise was expressed -- the Major UK Milton Specialist -- and asking.
Gordon wasn't in his office at the time, but his secretary sighed in a weary
fashion and spelled J - O - H - A - N - N - I - N - E.)
Anyway, I was having fun, but I realised that the poor nerd I was arguing
with was a Fully Paid-Up Milton Specialist, was taking the whole thing
seriously, and it might impact negatively on his job security if I carried
on. (He was also wrong.)
So I resolved to be more restrained in future.
Except, naturally, when it came to the Birk and Kent. The latter of whom
seems to be quiet all over recently. The last I heard from him was months
ago when he, uncharacteristically, withdrew from an argument on the grounds
that while he was right in asserting that, I kid you not, Oxford wrote
Shakespeare, I was out-arguing him simply because I knew more. Not like
Kent to withdraw first from an argument, and a little worrying. But he
did -- anyone seen it? -- have a piece in the Chicago Review recently.
A Repentant Rodent
> Hey all my friends I sent this but it seems to have got lost! or was it
> censored :-)
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Patrick McManus [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 30 October 2007 20:03
> To: 'Poetryetc: poetry and poetics'
> Subject: RE: Manipulation (no longer Re: New at Sharp Sand)
>
>
> Bring back Bircumshaw and Kent the old glory days flames wars insults
> sults
> sulks offence defences drama -is this a performance piece
> Love to you all
> From P the old wreck -hey I love this group !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
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