Writing Praxis And Performance By Greg Dening - 1936 Words

Of the many wonderful fragments of wisdom in Greg Dening’s article ‘Writing: Praxis and Performance’, which details how to produce appealing and creative historical prose, I believe one stands out above the rest. Be mysterious, he tells us. I’d be a fool not to take this on board. With that in mind, I wish to begin with a small mystery of my own. â€Å"He has married many women, but has never been married. Who is he?† Listen closely, and you might just find out. In many ways, analysing this article is the most straightforward task I will undertake in my academic career. I mean, everything I could possibly need to know is explained to me, right there in the article. It is a self-perpetuating prophecy, describing in stunning and florid detail precisely how to write about it. It provides concise and understandable lists of tips, rules, and guidelines for historical writing. And it does all this in engaging, challenging, and imaginative ways. Really, as long as I actually read the thing, it should be impossible to go wrong. How could I fail? Nevertheless, presenting this article is also particularly intimidating. Can I live up to that? Can I actually follow these rules, take on board and rearticulate the wealth of advice? Much like history itself, I view this is an enticing paradox, one which I wholly intend to embrace. So, as Dening himself astutely observes, â€Å"†¦let me give some advice on writing, and you can see for yourself whether I take my own advice.† That said, it would be