11 Common Places for Commonplaces: Developing Style – Jason Reimund

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Title Slide

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Hello. I am Jason Reimund. In a previous course, I learned about the concept of the commonplace book, an idea we discussed in our stylish writing course, as well. I first read about the commonplace book in Laura Micciche’s “Making a Case for Rhetorical Grammar.” In her piece, she cites Sharon Crowley’s, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students. Crowley explains that “In pre-modern times, most rhetors kept written collections of copied passages; these were called florilegia [meaning flowers of reading] in medieval times, and commonplace books during the Renaissance and into the eighteenth century.”

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Personally, I have always come close to keeping a commonplace book in some form or another without actually keeping one, and I never had any idea that’s what I was doing.

As a writer, I have always collected ideas I might use or be inspired by at some point. It’s what I refer to in one of my poems as “capturing fireflies.” Much of the time, these fireflies are less likely to start in a book form. Instead, they are collected as scraps, torn pages, scribbles, folded Post-Its, or an unused napkin. I’ll find something worthy and capture it on whatever writing material is immediately available and stick it in my pocket. At day’s end, I pull the fireflies from my pockets and stash them in an old tin can resting on my bookshelf specifically for that purpose. Eventually, I’ll put them in a scrapbook, or notebook, or . . . now, a commonplace book, filed with the best organizational skills to be expected from an absentminded poet like myself.

As a student, I go nowhere without a pen and notepad. I record every inspiring moment muttered, and as a reader, I use the book itself, highlighting, underlining, circling, and having conversations with the author in its margins. Of course, this isn’t exactly what a commonplace book is, but, perhaps, similar goals are accomplished.

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As a middle school teacher, I’m in love with the idea of assigning commonplace books to my students. I’m overwhelmed with ideas. In the words of Harvey Korman, “My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention.” My students could discover the power of language in commercials, songs, books, movies or streaming shows, or even product packaging. I envision sending them off to hunt for vivid verbs, imagery, sensory details, dialogue, and alliteration – we could use it to build powerful sentences! And the possibilities seem bound only to time limits and mandatory curriculum. What an incredible resource this could be. So I wanted to dig into this and see how others might use this tool for composition practice and education.

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Several famous or successful people have been known to keep commonplace books, including writers, politicians, tycoons, lawyers, and scientists. Some notable commonplace keepers have been Charles Darwin, Mark Twain, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Aldous Huxley, Aristotle Onassis, Lewis Carrol, C.S. Lewis, Virginia Woolf, and John D. Rockefeller, among many others. But the idea of a commonplace book is older than any of these more contemporary keepers of the commonplace book.

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Former high school English teacher turned clinical education professor Paula Carbone found an incredibly important use for commonplace books that connects closely with its ancient origins. She wrote an essay in the English Journal on “Using Commonplace Books to Help Students Develop Multiple Perspectives.” In it she explains that “commonplaces originate from the ancient Greek tradition of rhetoric. The concept does not refer to a geographical space (places), but a metaphorical space; as used by Aristotle, the term refers to a place where undisputed arguments (shared assumptions) can be found; a commonplace was a stock argument that a rhetor would memorize and use if the circumstances called for that type of argument” (63-4).

Through this lens, we can easily see how this tool could be useful in the practice of law, and we could start to imagine how it could be employed in the classroom.

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Carbone is critical of society’s backward motion in regards to the use of rhetoric in constructive communication today. She shares an anecdote about a friend who had recently gone to Italy to visit her husband’s family. The friend was disturbed by the frequent arguing and at how they seemed to disagree about everything. Eventually, however, she came to realize that they were not simply being contrary for the sake of argument; instead, as Carbone relates it, “they were advancing the development of their viewpoints on issues through the intentional introduction of conflict.” They were having a “complex discussion of free-flowing ideas,” a practice we do not share in the United States (63). We embrace viewpoints that validate our own and get angry when someone disagrees. The rift widens between opposing views and we tend to block out any information that does not support what we want to believe. Carbone believes she can use the commonplace book to overcome this flaw in our society.

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Our commonplaces, or “shared assumptions,” then, can be seen as “beliefs, values, and experiences” that we share as a community (Carbone 64). For the ancient Greeks, rhetoric became less about persuasion and more about investigation. They were more interested with the nature of truth. “Truth” was “not . . . permanent, but [it was] something reliant on circumstances that influence human perceptions” (Carbone 64). When these shared assumptions become universally accepted truths, Carbone tells us they become the grand narrative. An example of a grand narrative Carbone uses is that it is believed by the dominant majority in our country that if you work hard, overcome all obstacles, and do well in school, you can be successful, find economic stability, and advance the ladder. It’s the all-American, American dream. It is a story largely accepted by the majority of the community, but it can overshadow and ignore local circumstances and perspectives. Simply put, the grand narrative may not be a common truth for every perspective or circumstance. However, commonplaces can be used as examples that support the grand narrative. Those individuals who have overcome poverty and oppression to find success become models for the grand narrative that the American dream is alive and well.

Nevertheless, examples of extreme poverty and inequities rampant throughout our society counter the grand narrative. Discussions on commonplace truths and grand narratives are how Carbone sets the stage for the use of commonplace books in the classroom.

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Carbone challenges her students to take on multiple perspectives, and she assigns weekly commonplace book entries. Each entry must be dated and titled. Students select a topic that is current, relevant, and important in the local community, state, country, world, or universe. Then, they will research the issue in newspaper articles and journal issues and such. Sources can be local, state, national, or international. Of course, they must cite their sources. Next, they summarize the issue in one paragraph. State two opposing positions in two separate columns. For each position in each column, write a statement of purpose, list the intended audience, and find a minimum of three types of supporting evidence. Some of Carbone’s significant progress was evidenced in the classroom discussions. “All . . . discussions,” she writes, “no matter the topic, were aimed at identifying commonplaces and grand narratives. Once identified, they could be questioned, countered, and reframed.” Furthermore, the class learned “how to use emotional appeals effectively . . . when to bring in evidence . . . [and] ways to establish credibility” (66).

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So we’ve seen how the research and practice that goes into creating a commonplace book can build style in rhetoric and develop multiple perspectives for a more productive society and a more successful student. However, I am much more interested in how the commonplace book can develop style and even or especially innovation for a writer. In this course, we’ve talked about imitation and the various benefits or concerns, but while researching this project, I found a lot of good information in Edward Corbett’s 1971 College Composition and Communication piece, “The Theory and Practice of Imitation in Classical Rhetoric.” By the end of the reading, it’s clear that Corbett sees the practice of imitation as a beneficial means toward the growth of a writer. As he began the discussion, he suggests a distinction that I think especially helps clarify the advantages. He explains that the term imitate had a few different meanings in antiquity. So to help identify the goals of today’s writers, he proposes that we, perhaps, use the term emulate as opposed to imitate. While the difference is subtle, a significant distinction can be made. Whereas imitate is typically defined as “copy or simulate,” the term emulate is usually identified as meaning “to match or surpass (a person or achievement)” – the key word, of course, being to “surpass,” as this provides something grander than mere reproduction.

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Like most of the recent texts I’ve read, Corbett ties his ideas back to the ancients. He cites several classical rhetoricians, including a piece from Aristotle’s Poetics, where he claims that “man is the most imitative of all creatures,” and “that he learns first by imitation” (Corbett 243). Corbett goes on to point out that “the ancient rhetoricians taught that oratorical skills are acquired by three means – theory, imitation, and practice” (243). And although the classics provide a solid foundation to support the practice of imitation, there are more contemporary examples we can look to as well.

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I once read an essay called “Learning to Read.” It was actually an excerpt from The Autobiography of Malcolm X. In his words he reflects about how strong a speaker he was in his early days on the streets. But as he began to explore his new faith and understanding of the world outside those streets, he discovered he couldn’t write simple English; “[he] wasn’t even functional.” So with nothing but time in prison, he began his “homemade education” (161). He decided to peruse a dictionary which had been made available to him. He did his best to read what he could, but he struggled to understand it. “Finally,” he writes, “just to start some kind of action, I began copying” (162). Day after day, hour upon hour, he copied each word on each page, including all punctuation, and then, he would practice reading the results back to himself. Eventually, as one would expect, his vocabulary grew. He explains, “I suppose it was inevitable that as my word-base broadened, I could for the first time pick up a book and read and now begin to understand what the book was saying. Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened” (162). Of course, if you have heard Malcolm X speak or if you have read his writings without knowing much about his origins, you might assume he was a well educated orator. His command of language is impressive. However, he shares an anecdote about a time an Englishman wanted to interview him over the telephone. One of the questions asked by the English writer was, “What’s your alma mater?” Malcolm X simply responded, “Books” (168).

What began with copying the entire dictionary, led to an enormous library of reading, imitation, emulation and ultimately (re)invention of the language.

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I can see several ways to use imitation via the commonplace book in a classroom setting. Author and educator Jeff Anderson suggests helping students “notice” the patterns of language through mentor texts. There are so many ways to use commonplace book assignments so that students “notice” the patterns and power of language. Having students go out and notice and discover and then emulate language would be a powerful tool in educating young writers. In my own classroom, I just finished helping my students learn to effectively paraphrase passages in order to prepare for an upcoming assessment. A commonplace book would have provided a great way for my students to practice paraphrasing. Corbett states that “the three most common species of imitative exercises in the Renaissance schools were memorizing, translating, and paraphrasing” (246). One interesting practice of paraphrasing mentioned by Corbett was taken from Erasmus, who recommended “the practice of turning poetry into prose and of turning prose into poetry” (248). This is a similar practice mentioned in The Style Academy, where exercises ask writers to rewrite fables or song lyrics. All of these seem like an engaging way for students to develop their style. Another effective exercise, mentioned by Corbett and practiced in Renaissance schools, “often concentrated on a single rhetorical feature, such as . . . the use of figures of speech – a feature which the student was then expected to imitate in a written assignment” (246). There are so many ways an educator could go with this. From finding figures of speech to any number of other tropes and schemes in literature to be emulated and practiced, the possibilities are overwhelming. I will soon be starting a personal narrative project with my students. During this unit we will explore figures of speech, imagery, pacing, sensory detail, and dialogue, among other literary techniques. The commonplace book would provide a great way to explore these techniques. Although it wouldn’t be appropriate for my students’ reading levels, one activity that occurred to me involved developing dialogue in our writing. One of the best examples of dialogue in prose can be found in Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.” It’s a very short story involving two characters having a conversation. It uses very few dialogue tags and with the dialogue alone, paints an entire novel of a story. To have students read this short story and emulate its style in order to practice effective dialogue writing might be a good project to include in a commonplace book. For me, the ideas keep coming. Ultimately, however, the goal should be that students, through emulation, will begin to discover and develop their own unique and original style.

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Corbett ends his entry contemplating a phrase written in an article by W. Ross Winterowd, who stated that “exercises in style allow the student to internalize structures that make his own grammar a more flexible instrument for combining and hence enable the student to take experience apart and put it together again in new ways, which is, after all, the generative function of language” (qtd in Corbett 249). Corbett agrees, writing, “The phrase “to internalize structures” hits the nail right on the old bong,” which makes me wonder what’s going on at Ohio State University. Anyway, Corbett continues: “For it is that internalization of structures that unlocks our powers and sets us free to be creative, original, and ultimately effective.” He finishes by writing, “Imitate that you may be different” (250).

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Works Cited

“Aristotle: Image 1.” Introduction to Communication, 11 August 2018, http://introtocommopensource.ridgewater.edu/ModuleVIII/ModVIIISect1.html Accessed 4 December 2022.

Burke, Victoria E. “Recent Studies in Commonplace Books.” English Literary Renaissance, Vol. 43, No. 1, The University of Chicago Press, Winter 2013, pp 153-177. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43607607

Carbone, Paula “Using Commonplace Books to Help Students Develop Multiple Perspectives.” The English Journal, Vol. 99, No. 6, National Council of Teachers of English, July 2010, pp 63-9. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20787671

Corbett, Edward P. J. “The Theory and Practice of Imitation in Classical Rhetoric.” College Composition and Communication, Vol. 22, No. 3, National Council of Teachers of English, Oct., 1971, pp 243-250. https://www.jstor.org/stable/356450

“Cuttin’ Heads.” scene from Crossroads. YouTube, uploaded by JunkTapes, 1 Oct, 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvFRa7OHr08

“emulate.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/ Accessed 4 December 2022.

Escher, M. C. “Relativity,” Sooke, Alastair. “MC Escher: An enigma behind an illusion.” BBC, 24 June 2015, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150624-arts-most-famous-illusion Accessed 3 December 2022.