Jean Guitton (1901-1999), the French philosopher and teacher, used to tell his students “that the art of expression consisted in saying the same thing three times.” In other words: 1) say what you are going to say; 2) say it; 3) say what you said.
This advice is good for reader and writer. The reader benefits from repetition. The art consists of repeating the same thing in different ways, so as not to bore the reader.
The writer benefits from a process to “transform intuitions into conclusions” by working backwards from the goal. Like solving a maze by starting from the exit. Guitton used to teach his students to make the first sentence they wrote on a fresh white page appear down at the bottom as their concluding sentence, prefaced by words to this effect: “Thus it is that…”.
But what about the transitions? Guitton provides a device: to ask yourself if you can conclude each section with the formula, “There is more to come.”
That said, whatever way you may have organized your material, there is always an alternative way: there is no perfect order.
This advice is good for reader and writer. The reader benefits from repetition. The art consists of repeating the same thing in different ways, so as not to bore the reader.
The writer benefits from a process to “transform intuitions into conclusions” by working backwards from the goal. Like solving a maze by starting from the exit. Guitton used to teach his students to make the first sentence they wrote on a fresh white page appear down at the bottom as their concluding sentence, prefaced by words to this effect: “Thus it is that…”.
But what about the transitions? Guitton provides a device: to ask yourself if you can conclude each section with the formula, “There is more to come.”
That said, whatever way you may have organized your material, there is always an alternative way: there is no perfect order.
(Ref. Guitton, J. A Student's Guide to Intellectual Work, University of Notre Dame Press, 1964)
1 comment:
wow! Thank you Jean guitton!
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