The Evaluation of Research
In October 2008 the Italian National University Council (CUN, Consiglio Universitario Nazionale) requested all scholarly societies in the humanities to express their views on the evaluation of research. The paper below, produced by the Board of AIA (Associazione Italiana di Anglistica) outlining AIA’s position and circulated to all its members, was also signed by Compalit (Associazione per lo Studio della Teoria e Storia Comparata della Letteratura), by AIS (Associazione Italiana degli Slavisti) and by SUSLFF (Società Italiana per gli Studi di Lingua e di Letteratura Francese).
The Research Dimension in Evaluation by all.2 Although its promoters tend to say that the classification does not have an evaluative As we start it needs to be remembered that the function, it has inevitably led to category “C” evaluation of research products is just one taking on a negative valence as the “recipient” dimension of evaluation. Other dimensions of everything which has not been placed in the include teaching and the contribution made to “higher” categories.3 The panels responsible the discipline in the form of participation in for the ERIH classification then argue that the colloquia and conferences, preparation of merit of each contribution is totally unconnected academic events etc. It is to be hoped that, in to the categories where the journal is “placed”: deciding the criteria for the evaluation of every category can host contributions whose products, those factors are not sidelined which intrinsic value is highly diverse. This is one of can prove useful in tracing the continuous the many reasons why the classification has professional development of scholars in relation given rise to considerable criticism from to the scientific community they belong to and researchers working in the humanities,4 one thus in relation to the growth of their own cogent example being the finely documented students, considered as people and not, in the and caustic article published in Le Monde words of one university President, as “credit Diplomatique (December 2008, p. 32). crunching machines”.1 There are a wide range of possible publishing The Product Collocation Scenario venues for the products of disciplines included This is how we choose to call the listing of the in English Studies in Italy: journals and the sources of publication held to a) journals/series of Department volumes (or be qualifying in each disciplinary sector. There former Institutes, now Departments); exist classifications of journals, such as ERIH b) journals/volume series published in Italy (European Reference Index for the (in Italian, which are also published in English); Humanities), which we do not consider, at least c) journals/series of volumes published in in their current form, to be particularly valid/ Italy, only in English; useful. The members of the ERIH panels d) journals/ volume series of Italian University themselves point out that the classification is (English) Departments published abroad; not aimed at providing instruments to evaluate e) international journals/series published research projects, or the research products by outside Italy in English; the individual researcher. Indeed it is important to emphasise that the ERIH criteria of f) international journals/series published distribution and circulation, which place any outside Italy in a foreign language other than journal in a language other than English in English; category “B” or “C”, automatically create an g) journals/series published online. imbalance (not to say a distortion) in favour of Any exhaustive and detailed “picture” of all the English which is not necessarily to be shared available journals, series and publishers may in
13 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009) a sense seem a paradox. The world of publish- even in its most heated moments, unanimously ing is dynamic and constantly changing, making claims that the worth of the single contribution any attempt to “freeze” every source of publica- is not indissolubly linked to its venue, and rather tion in a set position or category not only difficult has stressed that in the construction of know- to achieve but above all pointless: ledge it is not unusual for the more radically a) there are journals and/or series which innovative work to appear in publications which appear locally and then grow rapidly in terms are not mainstream (cf. Le Monde Diploma- of quality, selectivity and prestige; tique, cit.). b) well-known international publishers are There are 2,200 sources of publication regularly involved in takeovers, mergers or the mentioned in the Bibliographie Linguistique5– launching of new series – Pergamon is a case and linguistics is just one of the many research in point, rapidly entering and then leaving the domains covered by English Studies in Italy. In market; the light of what has been stated so far, it would c) there is a network of large and small seem unwise to produce a selection or a publishers in Italy which require protection classification of the publishing scenario for (these days there are frequent press reports of English Studies in Italy – or other non English- their going out of business), so as to avoid the speaking countries. Researchers in the field of tradition of scientific publication in Italian being English Studies in these countries typically simply annihilated by the hegemony of English- operate in a wide variety of academic contexts language publishers; and scholars are often under pressure from the d) finally (or rather above all) there is, and it start of their university career not just to publish is expressly emphasised here, the prestige and in English, but also to constantly try and improve originality of the single product which for the quality of the English language journals various reasons is published in Italian and at a produced “at home”, to make them competitive local level, but this should detract nothing from internationally. its worth. Giving way weakly before criteria If, then, each evaluation board takes due which at all costs reward international account of the value of internationally publication compromises or prejudices in every recognised indicators such as the ISBN of a sense the value of the single research product. volume or series or the ISSN of a journal, of its No evaluation board can, in the end, shirk the refereeing policy and of its international editorial responsibility of evaluating the individual piece board etc., this does not release it from the of work as a contribution to the construction obligation of reading – reading also work that of knowledge, independently of the language is published in “local” journals which do not have or of the kind of publication in which it appears. an international refereeing apparatus – and of The history of science itself reveals how the expressing an evaluation. In this regard we feel strictest parameters can be spoiled or obscured that the debate on refereeing needs to be by human actions in which straightforward mentioned, nor can we ignore the comments common sense would have rendered judgment raised over the role of international journals as simpler and clearer. The history of the invention gatekeepers.6 The English language is of the telephone is a good example, with its undoubtedly an instrument which provides recent attribution to the Italian Meucci after visibility, yet visibility, and the power connected decades of legal battles which had long with it, is no unquestioned guarantee of primacy favoured the American Graham Bell. in the construction of knowledge: judgment on It seems quite dangerous for the future of the individual product cannot give such publishing, as we have noted above, to squeeze misleading weight to its place of publication. out the so-called minor journals (minor in terms Brilliant Ph.D students and young researchers, of circulation, subscriptions etc.) to prop up a in the haste imposed by job application deadlines market which broadly speaking favours English and national selection procedures, have language journals. Further, the current debate, published with local publishers, “gifting” them 14 products which would have merited publication, which have recently been circulating it is clear but at the cost of a long waiting list, in that bibliometric criteria are: international publications. a) difficult to use in an appropriate way;8 Within English Studies, for over a decade b) far from being completely reliable.9 there has been a lively debate over the criteria It is worth noting that the Humanities Committee which give centrality to knowledge, leading to of the European Science Foundation has stated marginalisation and nearly silencing great unequivocally that these criteria are not suited scientific traditions. Publication in English to knowledge in the humanities.10 involves adopting English models and patterns The limitations of the bibliometric approach of scientific writing - this interweaving or the to evaluation should be highlighted, above all in Gordian knot of language, knowledge and 7 the humanities, to reduce the risk of hasty power has been widely studied and debated. consensus, already lingering in the air: in several Italian writing on English Studies in Italy is Faculties, humanities scholars have been put well-placed internationally. Perhaps, as well as under pressure by statisticians and more being the rigorous custodian of the standards generally quantitative disciplines to espouse of their own journals and series, we should also, bibliometric parameters and apply them to their together with other foreign language and own work. literature scholars and with academics in Italian It would therefore be useful for colleagues in Studies, support Italian sources of publication these areas to read the argumentation of the and journals both in Italian and in other European major world exponents in their respective languages. A ranking system mainly based on disciplines, before brandishing bibliometrics as quantitative parameters will likely place them a useful sword with which to adjudicate the in the “waste paper basket” of category “C”, sharing out of research funding. no matter their worth. Additional Observations Bibliometric Criteria I It is worth pointing out that the criteria used in Objective criteria are already used by university bibliometric evaluation are currently being evaluation bodies in order to share out the funds critically revised by their very proponents in the made available by the central government fairly quantitative disciplines. The following are useful and in a principled fashion. Whatever the future reading: the report by R. Adler, J. Ewing, P. of that funding, it must be noted that the Taylor of the Joint Committee on Quantitative “weighting” of the very same typology of Assessment of Research, entitled Citation research product is still determined locally, Statistics. A Report from the International making the overall picture appear somewhat Mathematical Union (IMU) in cooperation fragmented. If the contribution to the with the International Council of Industrial construction of knowledge and its critical and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) and the sharing in the scientific community counted Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS), more than the notion of product, it might appear published on 6/11/2008,
15 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009)
on important and innovative themes, sometimes . the refereeing of single products should opening up new methodological and/or always respond to minimum standards of interdisciplinary horizons. In some Depart- transparency as regards, for example. the ments, editorial work is not even eligible for publication a posteriori of the composition evaluation: contributions to an edited anthology of the evaluation committees; . refereeing procedures need to develop are awarded points, while the labour of the editor into a supportive practice beyond mere is rewarded with zero points! gatekeeping, aiming as far as possible to pro- d) online materials, often just as valid and vide valuable suggestions / comments; more up to date than printed material, especially . the evaluation of products in the humani- when they have eISBN and eISSN codes. ties, while keeping to objective criteria, can- II not uncritically and naively espouse In some universities there are byzantine bibliometric parameters currently being de- bated in the areas of the so-called “hard” sci- bureaucratic procedures which need to be ences, and in any case must only be handled overhauled. It might not be untoward to suggest by committees of experts in the field; that the Ministry of Simplification (Ministero . any kind of ranking of publications, far della Semplificazione, sic!) could well take an from depending only on “diffusion”, must also active role within our University or Department safeguard linguistic and cultural identity,and regulations. For example, in several universities the great traditions of knowledge. These tra- entertaining invited speakers, even for a plain ditions depend on publishing, both in print and meal, can only be done at one’s own expense. online, which is either supported through lo- Such conviviality can prove highly productive cal academic funding (departments) with or in terms of research, where the interpersonal without subsidies from external bodies (local dimension has a positive valence and on many government, Foundations etc.), or through market activities, in the form of subscriptions occasions has led to the opening up of valuable and national / international distribution and international projects – but no, you either tell sale. The provenance of the published mate- your guest to go and eat alone, or you turn your rial might be comparatively local, yet it might home into a dinner club for the whole well make an important contribution to scien- department (don’t Italian women academics tific debate in its widest sense. know,visiting lecturers mean cleaning up your . the culture of evaluation must gain con- kitchen at one in the morning…). Still on the sistency and credibility through collective sub-ject of unnecessary complications, publishing monitoring and peer-reviewing, operated by abroad can often involve multiple gatekeeping academic societies/communities and starting processes. Thus internationalisation may not be from their respective bibliographies. Annual so much an intercultural process, but rather the monitoring of journals and volume series di- vided into two main typologies, namely those fruit of great patience and negotiation with supported through local academic funding and resistant practices which smack of provincial those “on the market”, and considering the narrow-mindedness. two categories as rigorously parallel, will help Conclusions construct an increasingly accurate perception of the quality of publications, including jour- Where evaluation means the overall estimation/ nals and series which appear to be local but assessment of the research trajectory, from which in actual fact occupy positions of pres- PROJECT to PROCESS to PRODUCT,it tige in their discipline. This procedure is de- is important to point out that quality is not the tached from mechanistic parameters which “automatic” consequence of setting up distort the reality through pre-constituted judg- evaluation filters: ments. In this way the critical issue is avoided of a ranking system which is excessively . researchers should be guaranteed greater linked to quantitative criteria such as circula- freedom of movement and the possibility of tion and distribution. Evaluation will start pro- more streamlined administrative management moting more varied criteria, identifying for of research funds; example Department journals and series
16 through tools such as international boards, which are no less deserving of appreciation than “marketed” journals with a large circu- lation. Since we presume that the two typo- AIA (Associazione Italiana di Anglistica) logies cannot be kept totally separate, this pro- Consiglio Direttivo (Board) cedure will also usefully highlight the depend- Giuseppina Cortese ency of the humanities on funding from aca- Marina Vitale demic/cultural bodies which, unlike other re- search areas, cannot attract businesses or Rita Salvi corporations interested in exploiting trade- Carlo M. Bajetta marks and patents. Finally, by developing finer John Douthwaite evaluation parameters within each discipline, Oriana Palusci it is possible to assess the typology of publi- cations specific to our discipline (including Maristella Trulli edited volumes, critical review essays etc.) far more accurately than is currently done in 5/1/2009 individual departments.
NOTES 1. Report by G. Trombetti, CUN Conference “Università e sistema paese”, Rome, 18-19 June 2008. 2. Amazingly, a number of “foundation” journals for English studies are missing from the on-line list (available at
17 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009)
World War One Literature Oxford Launches Major New Digital Archive
Access to digital resources is now quickly becoming the norm for teaching and researching English literature, and the availability of primary source material for modern literary studies (as opposed to medieval studies which has always been well catered for) is opening up new approaches. A recent major archive launched jointly by the Faculty of English and the Computing Services at Oxford University has taken this even further.The First WorldWarPoetry DigitalArchive has released over 12,000 digital objects for free world-wide educational use via the Web
18 2008. Here the general public (primarily in the UK) was asked to submit digital copies of material they personally held to do with the First World War. A collecting web site was set up, and a series of ‘scanning roadshows’ were initiated around the country, which resulted in over 6,500 objects being collected in the space of a few weeks. These were not necessarily connected to literature but they did provide a wealth of contextual material related to the experience of the War. Combined with this large digital archive of material, were a set of online tutorials, podcasts of interviews with commentators and literary tours of museums, educational films, and a revised version of the earlier Path Creation Tool that allows users to create annotated trails through the collection. Most recently we have also run workshops for teachers who have created online resource packs for school teaching drawing from the collections. All told this represents one of the largest online collections of material related to Britain and the War, and certainly the English poetry originating from the conflict. It is being used by teachers and researchers across the world, as well as members of the public. The effect of having access to such a wealth of primary source material cannot be underestimated. In Figure 1, an example often used from the original project, we can see a section of one of the manuscripts of Owen’s ‘Dulce et Decorum est’. Here we can see the poet struggling to find a particular word and the evident rewriting and care brings home to the student the true processes involved in writing a poem.
Figure 1: Extract from BL, MS Add 43721 f. 41, © The British Library/The Wilfred Owen Estate
19 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009)
In Figure 2 we can see Owen struggling with the rhyme scheme of a poem (‘As bronze may be much beautified’), this time illustrating that the methods we often use to teach poetry are actually used by poets in the process of composition.
Figure 2: BL, MS Add 43721, f. 89, © The British Library/The Wilfred Owen Estate
20 The material also tells us about the context of composition. Figure 3 shows some lines from Rosenberg’s ‘Daughters of War’. These have been scribbled on a scrap of Salvation Army notepaper along with parts of a play. It is torn, muddied, and folded as Rosenberg (a private) moved from trench to trench. The sanitized page of an edition simply cannot convey such information.
Figure 3: IWM, IR/I/265, © The Imperial War Museum/The Isaac Rosenberg Estate
As stated earlier, all the material is freely available world-wide for educational use. New funding has been received to consider how we can expose the data in other web-based services to make it more accessible and usable. We would welcome any suggestions or comments on the initiative. Dr Stuart D Lee Ms Kate Lindsay University of Oxford [email protected]
21 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009)
Of Openings and Closures: An Interview with Franco Marenco Giuseppina Cortese (Torino, Italy)
Franco Marenco is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Torino, Italy. A full member of the Accademia delle Scienze e Lettere of the same city, and corresponding member of the English Association, he was Chairman of AIA (Associazione Italiana di Anglistica) in 1979-81 and 1993-99, and visiting lecturer at various English and American Universities. He taught Italian Literature at the Universities of Birmingham (1960-61) and Reading (1961-68); and English, American and Comparative Literature at the Universities of Perugia (1968-72), Genova (1972- 80) and Torino (1980-). He has published extensively on English Renaissance literature and drama, on the literature of travel and American discovery, on European literature and culture in the 20th century, and on literary theory. Among his recent publications are La parola in scena. La comunicazione teatrale nell’età di Shakespeare (2004); “La colonna e la rovina: Roma nell’immaginario britannico fra Sette e Ottocento”, in Cesare de Seta ed., Imago Urbis Romae. L’immagine di Roma nell’età moderna (2005); Arcadia puritana: l’uso della tradizione nella Prima Arcadia di Sir Philip Sidney (new ed., 2006); “Adolescenti nel dopoguerra: il rinnovo della scrittura”, in Carlo Alberto Augieri ed., Le identità giovanili raccontate nelle letterature del Novecento (2006); “Dallo spettro al meccano: la teoria letteraria in Inghilterra, oggi”, in Moderna, VII, 1/ 2005 (2006); “Retorica e antiretorica dell’esotismo nella narrativa di Joseph Conrad”, in P. Amalfitano and L. Innocenti eds., L’Oriente. Storia di una figura nelle arti occidentali (1700-2000), (2007); “Il canone della poesia in lingua inglese: ovvero, il confronto fra Europa e America attraverso le antologie”, in Gianfranca Balestra and Giovanna Mochi eds., Ripensare il canone. La letteratura inglese e angloamericana (2007); “Che ne ha fatto della storia il romanzo moderno?” in La modernità letteraria, I, 2008.
22 How would you evoke your own academic possible from any conformity and routine-think- trajectory? When and how, in particular, did ing; indeed as a continuous rejection of all preju- Professor Marenco come to tread a broader dice and received opinion, relying on maximum path and place his literary focus within a latitude of investigation. I do not think that, in comparative perspective? the last century, literary criticism would have Allow me to answer focussing specifically on achieved much had it been unaware of post- the Italian scene. In the course of my research Nietzschean philosophy, or post-Saussurian lin- and teaching experience I became more and guistics, or post-Freudian psychology, or post- more impatient with the boundaries and limita- Lévi-Straussian anthropology: it is only by cul- tions imposed by a strictly enforced division of tivating cross-fertilization that our criticism re- knowledge and culture, leading to jealously mains close to, and often at the centre, of the guarded, self-referential and self-complacent cultural debate. enclosures. The problem is not peculiar to our Your research projects in comparative lit- academic system, where the differentiation and erature range from text-analysis to thematic splitting-up of disciplines and competences rests, criticism to theoretical problems such as the at least initially, on necessary grounds – but it relationship between history and narrative. has been variously mismanaged to the single How did your own “thread of discourse” end of creating new positions, courses and jobs, as a scholar lead you from empirical-de- often the mere replicas of existing ones. It re- scriptive to theoretical issues? lates, more conspicuously and dangerously, with the dramatic entrenchment of Italian culture into An important distinction must be made here: regional and provincial – not to say parochial – I always rejected descriptive, mimetic commen- interests and loyalties, which could still be tary, which is nothing but an emphatic would- counted a mixed blessing in a past era of flour- be “embellishment” of what is already there, a ishing folklore, but is now, in an age of world- multi-faceted unit, open as such to the read- wide, interethnic dialogue, the true certificate er’s interpretation. The commentator’s subjec- for early decay and evaporation. Dissatisfac- tive “help”, if not limited to recalling a histori- tion with this state of affairs led me to the study cal background, ends up being a poor substi- of literature on a comparative basis, which, mind tute, basically unfaithful to its object and useful you, has nothing innovative in it: it is in fact the to no one, least of all to the students, soon bored natural development of what I have been doing by the exercise. For the same reason I reject since the start of my academic career. When I rigid thematic criticism, insofar as it fixes a was teaching Italian in England (Birmingham definite and single meaning on to a simple for- and Reading in the ’Sixties), I produced a study mula and tends to stick to it, mindless of the on the interconnection between literary and re- mobility of the language that substantiates a text ligious discourses in the XVI century, and in – in other words, obscuring its instability, i.e. its order to contextualize Sidney’s Arcadia – “silly capacity to speak to different audiences in dif- pastime” as it did sound to most modern pro- ferent ages according to the value words and fessional readers at the time – I had to delve structures of words have acquired or lost over into English, French, Italian and Latin texts, and time. True, thematic props have to be kept in draw the resulting complex lines of similarity mind, but this approach must never gain the and derivation. Since then, I have maintained upper hand over another process, that of the this comparative approach whenever possible: full and free appreciation of the linguistic po- literature viewed not as an exercise in stylistic tentialities inherent in the text as a whole – its accomplishment, nor as an exclusively philologi- polyphony if you want. cal treasure-hunt, but as a critical problem As for literary theory, I do believe, as shown across national boundaries, characterized by – very superficially indeed – by what I have evolving critical discourses, relevant to the just said, that an acquaintance with theoretical present more than to the past, and as free as problems is never wasted. One theoretical crux
23 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009) that has belatedly come to my notice (sorry, an increasing number of expert translators, of- my fault!) is the changing relationship of his- ten leaving the complexities of literary transla- tory and narrative: a central problem for tion to ill-paid, improvised practitioners. In the present-day culture, especially in countries like middle part of my career I abandoned the prac- Italy, where history – the search for “the fac- tice of translating, having fallen prey to an aca- tual truth” – and its narrative “emplotment” by demic prejudice: translation was not considered the media are at dire loggerheads. The issue “original” enough to achieve scholarly status. has been discussed at length by many eminent More generally, translation theory may have historians and philosophers on both sides of the taken root as a corrective to this condition. I for Atlantic, from Hayden White to Carlo Ginzburg, one was a latecomer to this concern, which and yet a large number of literary critics, after counts a number of excellent pioneers in the field a stint of important work done in the ‘Eighties, of English studies, offering a good foothold to a seem to have remained indifferent to it. In a recruit like me (now in charge of a new transla- recent essay I tried to tackle the question from tion of Shakespeare’s works). the point of view of the literary historian, ask- Literary translation is a formidable testing ing What has the modern novel done with ground for a scholar’s depth of approach to history? In brief, I suggested that major con- literature, culture, language. Or, rather, lan- temporary novelists tend to cast aside either guages. As the founder of a European PhD the old faith in the transparency of words, or in programme, in which languages do you ex- the diachronic order, or in the finality and pre- pect your doctoral students to be proficient? dictability of civilized endeavour, or in all three categories together, thus dismantling the old This is an exceedingly sore point, linked to the alliance between historical writing and narra- shortcomings of the education system I was dis- tive writing. Hundreds of examples could be cussing earlier – or should I say systems in the made, but in my own work I focussed my analy- plural, as all Western Europe seems to me be- sis on Günter Grass, J. M. Coetzee and Claudio set by the same problem (as far as I know, only Magris, for their different attitude to form. a few Eastern European countries can boast a good record in foreign language training). Ex- How far did the practice and theory of cept for the Faculties of Foreign Languages – literary translation contribute to your schol- which have their disadvantages anyway, espe- arly profile? cially in the compression of the syllabuses in other As a reader in more than one language, I subjects – the academic set-up in Italy does not was obviously engaged in the daily effort to allow sufficient room for learning these essen- grasp the full meaning of a small, home-made tial tools for intellectual exchange and mutual canon, mainly imparted at school – by no means understanding. The effects are readily discern- a secondary factor in the intellectual growth of ible in the performance of some prospective PhD my generation (now nearing retirement). I students, who are perhaps very good at han- learned French at secondary school, English dling concepts, but seem to be limping along lan- and German at University. The professional side guage-wise. Each individual research project of translation came my way at a very early currently discussed in our courses in Compara- stage, as I was still a student, thanks to the tive Literature and Culture must include, and great interest that Italian publishers then had in refer to, texts in at least two of the main Euro- disseminating all that was new and controver- pean languages apart from Italian – i.e. English, sial in European and American culture (one French, German, Spanish – with the possible ad- reminder out of many: it was an Italian pub- dition, in special cases, of Russian, or Arabic, lisher who introduced Pasternak’s Doctor etc.; and with the comparative effort frequently Zhivago to the West in 1958). Things are dif- extended to non-literary media, including music, ferent now, with other media – advertising, film, theatre and cinema. Seminars are conducted in theatre and music in particular – attracting the turn by staff and postgraduates, and are based country’s economic potentialities, together with on texts in all the above languages, but discus-
24 sion has to be in Italian: we simply cannot ask unconnected with the study of literature as such. so diversified an audience to read and discuss With regard to language and its role in higher texts in several languages other than in transla- education today: what do you envisage/recom- tion. mend as the best approach to national languages Is a solid background in the classical languages and cultures in Europe? Of course I have Ital- relevant? How can we, the heirs to a great clas- ian and its current “minority language” status sical tradition, meaningfully contribute to the in mind – our tradition from Dante to our great study of English literature today? I remember writers of science. (There are of course many the time when a typical dissertation title was outstanding European traditions, and here the “The fortune of X in Italy”, or, conversely, “The milestone, from a discourse perspective, is fortune of the translation of Y in English litera- Duszak’s Culture and Styles of Academic ture”… Discourse, published in 1997). Will journals Titles as obsolete as “The fortune of X” or cultivating this tradition all earn a “C” for pub- “The sources of Y” have happily disappeared lishing work in Italian, following some of the from our horizon, superseded by such new tools current criteria for evaluating research prod- of analysis as “the textuality of historical proc- ucts? Is this the only possible direction in the esses”, “intertextuality” etc. Obviously this has new “culture of evaluation”: supporting the as- only highlighted the need for a thorough train- cendancy of English and its implicit hegemony ing in languages, both classical and modern, for in writing styles, often firmly established by the only the perception of what goes on in the top journals in the field? model-text can ensure a full appreciation of its I may be thought of as a relic of past ages, re-embodiment or reflection. Shakespeare’s and but I continue to cherish my mother tongue, for Marlowe’s imagery and rhythms, for instance, day-to-day conversation as much as for my own cannot be fully appreciated if one is academic writing. You mention style, and it is a unacquainted with Ovid’s Metamorphoses, concern for style – and its pleasure, its power which was compulsory reading in Elizabethan to overcome internal confusion in the writer – schools. But let me stress one point: however that prompts my answer. Of course, I am pre- important, linguistic practice should be envis- pared to recognize everyone’s right to take great aged as a preliminary, rather than a central con- pleasure in the use of the language she or he cern for graduate education – except when part feels more comfortable or less inhibited in, and of specialization itself. Primary and secondary to give her or him all the prizes in the world for school are the proper foundation for all subse- being proficient in it, but I want to be equally quent learning, and learners should be empow- recognized for operating in a tradition which has ered accordingly: languages are to be learnt little to envy any other in Europe. And let me there, together with maths, history, geography say I join in the current protest by speakers of etc., in order to be used as a key to all subse- the so-called minority languages, when in inter- quent knowledge (here I am in fact thinking of national encounters they have to bow to Eng- the intolerably repetitious approach in Italian lish as the sole medium of dialogue. Given these education, with practically the same syllabus premises, you may understand how unsympa- repeating itself in each school cycle and some thetic I feel to the so-called present-day cul- units being repeated even year after year, which ture of evaluation. General means of evalua- means: productivity amounting to zero). With tion may be necessary amidst the contempo- one notable proviso, called for by the great rary inflation of specialized books, periodicals momentum linguistic theory has acquired and journals, but at heart its exercise remains a throughout the Twentieth Century: specialized matter of individual judgement and authority, knowledge of the structures and workings of nothing more. That any academic journal should language – the national one for a start – ought earn a “C” for being published in Italian, only to be encouraged as part of both undergradu- because the evaluating panel does not know ate and postgraduate education, connected or what to make of it – well, this seems to me a
25 The European English Messenger 18.1 (2009) far cry from anything reasonable. Quantity – problem lies in the fact that the culture of evalu- the number of publications you produce – pre- ation is a by-product of a market-oriented cul- vails over quality – the consensus they may elicit tural trend where, as predicted by Lyotard’s La among experts. Imagine what would have hap- condition postmoderne as early as 1973, eve- pened at Cambridge in the ‘Thirties, had these rything comes to be measured not on the basis requirements been applied to Wittgenstein. The of truth or justice, but of “how well it sells”.
26 CONFERENCE REPORT Fourth International Aldous Huxley Symposium: “Aldous Huxley in America” Los Angeles, 31 July–3 August 2008
Gerd Rohmann and Eva Oppermann (Kassel, Germany) The first Aldous Huxley Symposium (Münster, The Huntington Library, San Marino, proved 1994) commemorated the centenary of to be the perfect location for the conference, Huxley’s birth and resulted in the foundation inasmuch as it combined a beautiful ambiente and rise of the International Aldous Huxley of botanical gardens with excellent facilities for Society (since 1998). In due course, this process a scholarly congress. Each of the three led to the subsequent symposia in Singapore conference days was devoted to a particular (2000/2001) and Riga (2004), which were highly theme, viz “Huxley in California” (31 July), successful in bringing together scholars from “Huxley’s American and Global Travels” (1 around the globe to discuss and promote the August), “Huxley’s American Legacy” (2 study of Aldous Huxley’s thought and writings. August), and the symposium was appropriately “Aldous Huxley in America,” the topical opened with addresses by David Zeidberg, frame chosen for the fourth international Director of the Huntington Library, Dr Chris meeting, gave rise to the idea of making Los Kimball, President of California Lutheran Angeles and California the setting of the 2008 University, and Prof Bernfried Nugel as symposium. After the death of Huxley’s wife Chairman of the Aldous Huxley Society. Laura († 13 December 2007), the Los Angeles The first day began with a keynote lecture by Times had turned Hollywood’s disregard of David King Dunaway (University of New Huxley’s work into the announcement that “a Mexico) on “Huxley in Hollywood,” dealing with major revival of interest in his ideas [was] Huxley’s frustrated hopes of film sales of his coming, at a moment in history when it is critical books as well as with his pacifist and mysticist for the world to hear his warning voice, his activities. James Sexton (Camosun College, insights into and remedies for the human University of Victoria, B.C.) followed with situation.” “Fictional and Historical Sources for After As American advisor, Prof Peter Firchow Many a Summer,” Huxley’s critique of the (University of Minnesota), who sadly died American dream of rejuvenation. Sanford E. only two months after the conference and Marovitz (Kent State University) gave new who will always be remembered as an insight into the Bates method of eye training, as outstanding Huxley scholar of international discussed by Huxley in The Art of Seeing renown, had paved our way into the United (1942). Joan Wines (California Lutheran States, and the planning by Prof Bernfried University) presented “This Timeless Moment: Nugel (University of Münster), Chairman of Memories of Laura Huxley” together with other the International Aldous Huxley Society, was personal friends of Huxley’s wife. The afternoon magnanimously supported by regional keynote lecture by Peter Firchow (University organizer Prof Joan Wines from California of Minnesota), “Huxley and Isherwood: The Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, acting California Years,” focussed on the two authors’ as co-convenor. The Conference Warming on literary collaboration, culminating in their film 30 July was crowned by “A Woman’s treatment entitled Jacob’s Hands, and on their Vengeance,” the film version of Huxley’s relationship with Gerald Heard and the Vedanta crime story “The Gioconda Smile,” which was Society. In his paper on “Gerald Heard and competently presented by Prof David Aldous Huxley – Mystical Voyagers,” John R. Dunaway (University of New Mexico). Barrie (Nevada City, CA) enlarged upon the
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Californian culture of mysticism and Huxley’s “Aldous Huxley’s Concept of Travelling in and Heard’s meditation on ultimate reality. Along the Road and Beyond the Mexique Michael Horowitz & Cynthia Palmer’s Bay ”and Kathrin Wöstemeyer on “Utopia (Vancouver, B.C.) audiovisual contribution on Revisited: Robert Graves’s Seven Days in New “Aldous Huxley and the Psychedelic Crete as a Counterpoint to ‘Brave New Movement,” concentrating on little-known Worlds.’” aspects of Huxley’s drug experiences, was In the afternoon Grzegorz Moroz (University kindly presented by Dana Sawyer (Maine of Bialystok) lectured on “Jesting Huxley: The College of Art). Closing the day with “Aldous U.S.A., India, Materialism and Spirituality in Huxley and the Desert,” Gerhard Wagner Jesting Pilate,” whereas Sanjukta Dasgupta (University of Münster) examined Huxley’s (Calcutta University), in her paper on experience of silence, space, light, solitude and “Geographies and Gender: Ideological Shifts in death in the Mojave Desert. Brave New World and Island,” spoke about On the second day, “Huxley’s American and the influence of landscape on soul space and Global Travels” were evaluated by Kirpal Singh Huxley’s rejection and eventual re-construction (Singapore Management University) in his of his American experience. A. K. Tripathy keynote lecture on “East – West in the Balance,” (Varanasi, India) then described “Aldous which centred on conflict resolution between Huxley’s Literary and Spiritual Odyssey: From Eastern religious radicalism and Western Euro-English to Indo-Eastern Shores via capitalism, and in his talk on “Aldous Huxley’s America” and illustrated the influence of Moral and Political Consciousness: The First Hollywood and the Vedanta Society as a turning Stirrings on His World Tour 1925–1926,” A. A. point in Huxley’s spiritual and salvationist Mutalik-Desai (Dharwad, India) commented on concerns. In the day’s last lecture on “Huxley the beginning change of Huxley’s moral and on Life and Death,” Gerd Rohmann (University political views about India. As for Huxley’s of Kassel) analysed the development from American travels, David Leon Higdon Montaigne’s stoicism to Tantric Buddhism in (Albuquerque, NM) presented his new Huxley’s literary works as well as in his personal biographical and anthropological findings life, particularly at the moments when he had concerning “Huxley’s 1926 Discovery of the to face the deaths of his dearest relations and Zuñi and Hopi,” with particular regard to the his own end. Snake Dance in the Indian reservation described The third day, devoted to “Huxley’s American in Brave New World. Legacy,” was opened by Jerome Meckier’s As a particular highlight of the conference, a keynote lecture “On D. H. Lawrence and tradition begun at the Singapore Symposium in Death, Especially Matricide: Sons and Lovers, 2000/2001 was continued with the “Panel for Brave New World, and Aldous Huxley’s Later Young Huxley Scholars,” chaired by Claudia Novels,” showing that Huxley’s literary Olk (Humboldt University, Berlin). In a span of treatment of death was also inspired by psycho- almost two hours, intriguing research projects analysis and the taboo of dying ingrained in the were presented by Eva Oppermann (University ‘American Way of Life.’ Janko Andrijaševiæ of Kassel) on “The Role of the Snakes in Aldous (University of Montenegro) encouraged Huxley’s Island and The Crows of Pear- interactive presentations of endings and blossom,” Jake Poller (University of London) beginnings in “Good Night, Mr Huxley.” Valery on Huxley and Krishnamurti in his talk Rabinovitch (Urals State University) in his talk “‘Dangerously Far Advanced Into the on “Aldous Huxley’s Reworking of Anti- Darkness’: Aldous Huxley’s Californian Quest Utopian Elements from Brave New World in for Enlightenment,” and three young scholars His Positive Utopia Island” set out to prove from the University of Münster, Uwe Rasch that reason plus meditation led Huxley to a new on “Satire and satori: Parallels Between Aldous concept of predestination. Focussing on the Huxley and William Blake”, Anja Wiesner on reality of American education, Ron Zigler (Penn
28 State Abington) in “Democratic Values and the Institute of Technology), contrasted the tremen- Social Visions of Aldous Huxley: The SAT as dous success of modern science with its utter Our Brave New Test” questioned quasi-Brave- inability to say anything of significance about New-World methods in the Scholastic Aptitude what are the most important things to human Test (SAT) as it establishes an educational U.S. beings, such as love, justice, happiness; Huxley class system. With “Aldous Huxley’s Revision understood this problem and proposed a number of the Old Raja’s Notes on What’s What in His of remedies. Concluding the whole symposium Final Typescript of Island ” Bernfried Nugel programme, Dana Sawyer (Maine College of (University of Münster) laid the basis for a Art) dealt with “Aldous Huxley, Environmental critical edition of Island, enlarging on Huxley’s Prophet,” pointing out Huxley’s early aware- idea of making the best of Western and Eastern ness of our present environmental key problems: human potentialities, as enunciated in essays and the ignoring of the dangers of overpopulation, lectures written in his last creative years from environmental degradation, ressource depletion, 1956–1963. Kulwant S. Gill (Ludhiana, India), and global warming have led to the dysfunctional in “Attention to Here and Now: Aldous Huxley’s value paradigm that urges our materialist society Calculus of Compassion,” emphasised the on towards an unsustainable future; Huxley correct use of the body and mind to reach articulated his poignant recommendations for salvation here and now. In his talk on “Aldous upgrading our culture’s value paradigm in order Huxley’s Time Must Have a Stop – A Mastery to promote all kinds of desirable human of Mysticism,” David Garrett Izzo (American potentialities. Public University) argued that the central Between the conference sections, Robin Hull representation of mysticism in TMHS marks the (Zürich) offered three workshops on “A Practi- final change from satire to hope in Huxley’s cal Approach to The Perennial Philosophy,” work. Discussing “Biblical Interpolations in helping participants to relax and meditate by Aldous Huxley’s The Perennial Philosophy,” practising ‘The Way of Tranquillity’ and ‘The Guin Nance (Auburn University at Mont- Way of Wisdom.’ The vast academic pro- gomery) demonstrated that the concept of gramme was enriched by a guided tour through selflessness, Christ and the Holy Ghost allows the Huntington Library, the possibility to visit Huxley to adopt a syncretism between Christian the Library’s gardens at any time during the and Buddhist concepts of peace and under- conference, a reception by the Huntington standing. Library, an excursion to Trabuco and the The last section, under the heading “Huxley’s Vedanta Centre in Hollywood, and an invitation Key Values,” was opened by Henning Nugel’s to attend an open-air performance of Henry reading of “Crossroads of Science and Religion: IV at the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival of Aldous Huxley and Erwin Schrödinger” by California Lutheran University. Here the Lothar Fietz (University of Tübingen). The participants were treated, among other things, paper explored the idea of oneness underlying to the enactment of Huxley’s two favourite the diversity and heterogeneity of appearances quotations from the play: “I can call spirits from that made the Nobel-Prize-winning German the vasty deep” and “time must have a stop.” physicist and Huxley adopt a philosophy of More information about the speakers and mysticism independently of each other. In his topics is available at
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