Vocation of a Scholar

Siddharth G. Desai

Roll no. - 07

SEM - III

Paper no.E-C-302

Year – 2010-11

Topic: “Vocation” of a Scholar

Submitted to Dr. Dilip Barad

Department of English,

Bhavnagar University.

In “The Art of Literary Research”, Richard Altick and John Fensternmaker have discussed about the vocation of the scholar in the very first chapter. Let’s see the vocation of the scholar. Before discussing about the vocation of the scholar let’s see the meaning of the scholar.

          

      According to “Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary”, the scholar is a kind of person who know a lot a about a particular subject because they have studied it in detail. It means, the scholar has special knowledge about a particular subject in which he is like Master or Skilled person. Another thing is that the scholar has studied any particular subject in detail in a way that nobody can fathom his knowledge.

          

        In this very first chapter, “Vocation”, Richard Altick and John Fensternmaker write that the literary scholar and the critic are in the same boat. They are trying to convey by this that both follow to achieve the same thing. They further write, “Some professional students of literature prefer to regard themselves primarily as critics, some as scholar…” by describing this, Richard and john try to convey that every literary student ahs dream to become a critic and a scholar in literature. Here, they, first, present the psyche of the literary students.

          

       They both show the difference between critic and scholar. They write, “The critic’s business I mainly with the literary work itself- with its structure, style, and content of ideas. Scholars- on the other hand, are more its genesis and subsequent history. That means, critic studies only text with its structure, style and content of ideas. That’s how a critic presents his criticism on the text. On the other side the scholar studies the facts and roots of the particular text. He also studies the historical background of the text. That’s how a scholar does his genetically based study on the text. He believes that every work of art must be seen from within. That means, every work of art must be observed without any theory that means in general and within the text, according to the traditional way, the text must be assessed. They also see to illuminate or to explain and show more clearly the work from every conceivable angle.

          There is another person who also plays a very significant role in the literary studies, and that is a researcher, who studies the criticism on which the critic has done his work. In short, it looks like a journey from a critic to a scholar (Critic à Researcherà Scholar). Every literary student, perhaps, would pass from this journey who has desired to do something from the beginning of literary study.

          

George Whalley has rightly said for critic and scholar. He said,

                  

                   “No true scholar can lack critical acumen; and the scholar’s eye

                   is rather like the poet’s – not, to be sure, in a fine frenzy rolling,”

                   but at least looking for something as yet unknown which it knows

                   it will find, with perceptions heightened and modified by the act

                   of looking. For knowing is qualitative and is profoundly affected

                   by the reason for wanting to know..."                 

           Then, it is written, here, in this chapter that the genuine scholar is impelled by a deeply ingrained curiosity, an undeniable urges to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach. That is how scholar is encouraged to learn as well as to teach the things. Then the discussion moves towards the dramatic discoveries, which do not occur as often now as the scholars did earlier in the century, when a steadily enlarging body of scholars first studied great boards of rare books and manuscripts, in both institutional and private ownership, which had hitherto been inaccessible to inquires or simply unknown. That’s how dramatic discoveries were done earlier.

         

          As a consequence of this recent dramatic expansion of the scope of literary interest, it is certain that, given a fair degree of imagination, it means, because of this expansion, one can think or imagine in a broader sense. Then, originality to approach refers to the approach that is taken by someone who gives his attempt with 100%. Then, solidity of learning is introduced effectively. The wish and the will to see works of literary art and their creators form new perspectives. It refers to again this dramatic expansion which has given the opportunity to learn or to research the literary study in a efficacious way. All these above mentioned aspects can be seen as the qualities of research. This vocation of scholar will find or research on the things which will be rewarded in an ample amount.

          In further discussion, the idea of “publish or perish” in which the discussion moves to academic writing if your are working in the field of academic writing then you must write such thing which should be published in the well-known book, magazine or any other sources. So your writing can give you an identity as a critic, researcher or scholar. Publishing your writing creates your identity as an academician. But if you would not publish anything then you will be thrown of the academic field. Your identity as an academician will sure perish. So choice is ours. What do we want choose, publish or perish?

          That’s how the idea of academic writing is dealt in this book in a very significant way. Such writing should be published and should be awarded so that on can be encouraged by giving award to his writings.

          Morris Bishop has said about the literary research and its appreciation. He said,

                   “…I am not against research. I practice it, I honour it,

I love it. But a taste for literary research is something

special. It is not the same thing as delight in reading,

or delight in introducing others to the pleasures of

reading or the pleasures of writing. We do well to

encourage literary research. We do ill to impose, it as

a requirement for promotion and status in the teaching

profession. Literary research is a privilege, deserving of

no reward except the writer’s joy in his article, his book,

his public utterance of his precious thoughts.”

          So, here, Norris discuses that literary research is a privilege. To do literary research is an honourable thing. We should admire the writer’s attempt to do research and, especially to his precious thought that he has shared in his research with his readers.

          Then, Dr. Johnson said about scholarship, he said, “no man-but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money”; if so, the history of literary scholarship at its best is populated with amiable blockheads. Scholars may value the creature comforts as highly as do people in any other line of work. Scholars value the literary research in their vocation.

          “Interpret, understand and appreciate”, all these words are taken into consideration while viewing or reading literature. The scholar must follow these three words. He should first interpret the work, then he should try to understand the different dimension in the text and then, he should appreciate the text. This is how the scholar should act in accordance with these above three mentioned terms.

          One should have temperament for literary research, nobody can impose to research to anyone by giving particular time. One should have pleasure for literary research then and then the result can be achieved in a fruitful way.

          Then, there is a discussion on a successful and happy scholar. There are two professions which affect the vocation of the scholar and those are law and journalism. Both these professions depend on evidence. As law requires a thorough command over the principles of evidence, the knowledge of how to make one’s efficient way through the accumulated “literature” on a subject, and devotion both to accuracy and to detail. All these things can be helpful in the field of research. The scholar should have devotion towards accuracy of the particular research and its detail.

          Journalism, more specifically the work of the investigative reporter, also calls for resourcefulness- knowing where to go for one’s information and how to obtain it, the ability to recognize and follow up leads, and tenacity in pursuit of the facts. Both professions moreover require organizational skill, the ability to put facts together in a pattern that is clear and, if controversy is involved, persuasive. All the qualities of these both professions should be followed by the scholar. All these qualities can be helpful in literary research.

         

          Ideal researchers must love literature for its own sake, that is to say, as an art. Emotional attachment is definitely required to your work, then and then you can give your best to your work and then desired results can be attained by this emotional attachment. In this context, Wordsworth has rightly said in “Prelude”,

“What we have loved others will love,

And we teach them how to love.”

          Scholars and researchers must be insatiable readers. They must be enjoying reading. As Morris Bishop has said that they must have delight in reading and delight for reading. All these aspects infuse one’s activity as a professional scholar. As Helen Vendler said: “as scholars, we…love, beyond philology, and composition and literature, the worth of scholarship, by which we mean accurate evidence on literary matters. We are engaged in teaching others- our more advanced students- how to love what we love in the discipline of scholarship: how to price the exact edition over the inadequate one; how to value concision and clarity over obscurity and evasiveness; how to appreciate a new critical vocabulary when it brings energy or insight into our world.” So the scholar should have all these above mentioned abilities to research in the literary study.

          Researchers must have an accurate sense of history; they should have the ability to take themselves in the writer’s age. They should have a kind of adjustment to set their thoughts into the particular age. The words like, “research” and “scholarship” are used interchangeably, as is the common practice.

          H.J. Mencken said, “Learning without wisdom is a load of books on an ass’s back.” On can be a researcher, full of knowledge, without also being a scholar. Research is the means, scholarship the end; research is an occupation, scholarship is a habit of mind and a way of life.”Research is a kind of method through which one can attain Scholarship and Scholarship is last DESTINATION for a Researcher that is what Richard Altik and John Fensternmaker have said.

Conclusion:

          To conclude, I would like to say that scholars do their research in the very analytical way that no one can question on their arguments and their ideas. They should have both knowledge as well as wisdom so both these things make them able to put facts in their research in a very appropriate way.