pas la meme chose

I'd restudied one of her books. Decided she'd done a good job. Couldn't really understand why so many (males) had criticised her work. Thought I'd better restudy the next one in the series. Got as far as page 17 and began to grind my teeth. She really ought to have known better. But then she was in good company. 50 years later a whole clutch of scholars who ought to have known better were still making the same mistakes. All based on wistful speculation without owning up.

I started to tidy up some old files in preparation for doing something else. Windows 7 brought me to a halt. Twelve months ago I'd been through the same process. Carefully studied this second book in the series. I was much milder then. I'd drawn attention to the inaccuracies but I hadn't ground my teeth. Quite apart from that, I'd been through the whole of the book before writing my report.

I've recognised some subtle changes in myself. I look back over the past year and strike a chord. I've spent most of term times chatting to friends in the Oxford Union Society rooms. Without noticing it at the time, I'd been absorbing a different sort of atmosphere. Conversations nearly always merged into academic debate. And, dammit, this is Oxford, and there's still more than a hint of the patrician in the air despite the vulgating of the idiolect. General Petraeus came and talked only a few days before he was given a new job. When his name's mentioned on the news, I feel I know the man. He demonstrated to the full that to be a successful (American) general, you need to be a diplomat as well.

Double dammit! I used to say the best thing about Oxford was it was so easy to get out of it - especially when you lived near the main road to the South and the ring road was less than a car mile away. Now I'm getting quite fond of the place. Plus ca change. Pas la meme chose. Wittgenstein, thou shouldst be living at this hour!

oxford, 9 july 2010

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