Thoughts on Chapter 4
Critique on the potential for great pretension.
I agree that a way to avoid pretension is to write with the intended audience in mind. I also understand how pretentious writing defeats its own purpose by obscuring ideas. I argue that pretension is not necessarily a “temptation of the ego.” Pretension is using affectation to impress an audience. Such artificiality is something I would do my very best to steer clear of. After all, I would want my audience to connect to my work. However, I consider pretensions something perceived by an audience.
Word usage and grammatical structure may be intimidating to some, yet “intimidation” is something that depends on the reader – the audience. There could also be other communication barriers to deter the audience… Is the intimidating factor the learning curve? Is it not the audience who want to excel by calling to the forefront their capacity to learn new material? Could this sort of social tear be proliferating due to complexity and command of language/communication?
In the example of Thomas Jefferson’s drafting of the Declaration of Independence, Berkun seems eager to conclude that Jefferson’s role was not highly visible, nor did it need to be. He wants to draw the line under collaboration with one person’s artistic talent for writing as a catalyst. And this, eventually led to Jefferson drafting the Declaration, while he asked for his trusted friends, Franklin and Adams, to make the revisions. What was left out of the constitution is something that Thomas Jefferson never fully recovered from. Among the many deletions the last was the most devastating to Jefferson because he “apparently regarded it as one of his better creations.” In all, Jefferson wanted to “depict the separation of the colonies from the British Empire as a decision forced upon the colonists, who are passive victims rather than active agents of revolution” (Ellis, 62). Although Jefferson had no aspiration to sell his work, his writing suggests he desired to communicate his (then, radical) ideas. What bothers me is that Berkun leaves out the details when he writes “He was simply granted the authority to make use of his skills in the best service for his team” (Berkun, 79) Since many people easily accept without question that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, there is little thought of investigation. Moreover, there is little thought of questioning weather or not it is Jefferson’s actual words.
If the definition of pretension is the use of affectation to impress, then the length and complexity of a written work does not matter. Moreover, intent to impress an audience is not solely dependent on the use of jargon and size, rather it is dependent on the writer’s style of communication. For instance, oversimplifying a vision, idea, or concept can rob an audience of the beautiful complexity and elegance that awaits them. But as humans, we often want information concise and easy. It is a part of our nature to recognize phenomena and create patterns to explain it.
The human tendency for credulity is abundant. And, I’m sorry to say it, but oversimplifying complexity is also a form of pretension. Authors, for example, may see the need to oversimplify a concept or present a superficial conclusion to historical accounts in hopes that the audience will understand their reality. I find it interesting how people become impressed with how motivational speakers are able to translate complex processes into simple step-by-step guides.
References
Ellis, Joseph J. American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. Vintage Books, div. of Random House, Inc. New York. 1998.