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The Kidd edition will be seen as "definitive" when it comes out next year. On the other hand, given the state of Joyce's supervision of the original edition, there will never be any such thing as a perfectly error-free Ulysses. It is a work, after all, of more than a quarter of a million words. The book was produced by French typesetters at a considerable distance from where Joyce was living in Paris. And on the typeset proofs, Joyce massively added and rewrote in his own handwriting, to the point where he enlarged the text by about one-third. Beyond that, Joyce's eyesight progressively deteriorated, so his ability to supervise proofs was seriously compromised. The first edition, then, was a nightmare of production. I'm of the school that says that all changes in a work of art are momentous changes. In a lyric poem, a word change or two would tend to heavily influence our understanding of the text. Generally speaking, the idea of aesthetic perfection, when it is used as a standard for a text of epic length, is a false standard. There are exceptions: A legendary blooper was made by F.O. Matthiessen in his book American Renaissance. When he wrote about Moby Dick--a book almost as big as Ulysses--he put a lot of weight on the oxymoronic phrase "soiled fish of the sea." Actually, the manuscript shows that Melville was a lot less clever: It reads "coiled fish of the sea." The real issue is whether the errors cleared up by Kidd will alter the main lines of our understanding of Ulysses. And I will venture a guess that they will not. --Frank Lentricchia, professor of literature, who teaches Ulysses |
We asked 15 undergraduates: Should proficiency in a foreign language be a requirement in Duke's curriculum? Yes: 8 No: 7 |
In his annual "State of Arts and Sciences" address to the Arts and Sciences Council, Dean William H. Chafe discussed the possibility of moving "toward a simpler, more coherent, and more rigorous curriculum." Chafe wants a faculty committee to consider either having a foreign language requirement or a foreign language proficiency requirement.
While most students agree that knowing a foreign language is beneficial to an individual, opinions are split as to whether a language should be required. Over half the students polled said knowledge of another language is a necessity in an increasingly global society. "I think that Americans are disabled in a world economy because we only speak English and we expect other people to speak our language. Students from other countries learn many languages in school and are therefore more prepared to work in a multicultural society," says first-year student Mia Fram.
However, those who disagree with a language requirement say students should not be forced to take classes that are not interesting to them. According to junior Audrey Kim, "If being proficient in a foreign language does not play a big role on personal lifestyle--if there is no necessity for it--then people should be allowed to use a limited number of classes to really explore what excites them and what they think they will use in life." Senior Natalie Lamarque says the Duke curriculum has "enough requirements for a liberal arts school. It is moving away from liberal, and more toward strict guidelines."
Junior Drew Welter cites another reason for not requiring a foreign language. "There is no other language you can learn that is as universal as English."
But senior Kanika Blue disagrees. "When we get out and leave here, we're not in a closed country. It is very open; there are lots of opportunities abroad, and the U.S. is becoming more diverse," she says. "A part of a basic liberal arts curriculum is being able to appreciate different cultures. An indicator of that is being able to speak, or at least being exposed to a foreign language."
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