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I never heard anything like this either, and in fact my own experience was opposite that of the author's: the precision emphasized in law school simply adds an
by jaredhansen 8y ago
I never heard anything like this either, and in fact my own experience was opposite that of the author's: the precision emphasized in law school simply adds an additional dimension to the enjoyment of prose (or, once in a great while, poetry).
The whole idea that "thinking like a lawyer" should mean you forget how to enjoy reading and writing reminds me of Keats' claim that Newton destroyed the rainbow by explaining it. It's unfortunate that the author had such a bad experience with the law - but this is either strikingly bad pedagogy or simply a poor match with her specific personality, and shouldn't be taken as a reflection on the practice of law itself.
- mirimir 8y agoI never went to law school, but I did spend a few years consulting with law firms. And it was then that I learned to read critically. And strategically. Even after a PhD and some years in academia. However, I didn't read much fiction then. There just wasn't enough time.
- crooked-v 8y agoI'm also reminded of tabletop gaming, where if done well the rules text affects the je ne sais quoi of the game without having to be so crass as to actually tell people how to play. One example is the game Monsterhearts, where you play Buffy/Twilight/Teen Wolf/etc "teenage supernatural drama" types. The rules are carefully designed to make relationship drama and petty inter-group conflict a natural result of play, even if the players are levelheaded sorts who wouldn't act that way at all on their own.
- fenwick67 8y agoOr Risk, which is apparently designed to make you hate your friends
- BrandoElFollito 8y agoWe had a rule of never finishing a Monopoly game. We would end at 70% or so, so that people continue to talk to each other that night.
- hlmencken 8y agohttps://hellopoetry.com/poem/15305/the-man-pulling-radishes/ https://hellopoetry.com/poem/15305/the-man-pulling-radishes/