First Paragraph
In a writing center, theory, criticism, and practice often work simultaneously in an interdependent re-lationship with each other. To tutor a client is to consciously put theory and criticism into practice and to bridge what Matthew Arnold once called “the world of ideas and … the world of practice” (243). Writing centers, moreover, inhabit a unique space in colleges and universities by means of working with and drawing from a diverse range of disciplines, and so tutors, who also study in a diverse range of disciplines, often apply their own unique (inter)disciplinary approaches to tutorials. For example, literary theory and criticism can help (perhaps surprisingly) to inform and shape tutoring practices. When I began writing this essay, I had been a tutor for less than a year, and I was heavily immersed in both online writing center theory and Jerome McGann’s renowned 1983 book, The Romantic Ideology (as my primary field is British Romanticism). I began to use McGann’s theory regarding the Romantics’ “escapist” poetic language as a lens through which to inform my online tutoring practices, especially with regard to clients’ online writing styles.
Citation Information
Type of Publication: Newsletter Article
Author: Seth Reno
Year of Publication: 2010
Title: “The World of Ideas and the World of Practice: Romanticism and Online Writing Centers”
Publication: Writing Lab Newsletter, Volume 34, Issue 9/10
Page Range: 7-10