...from one of his grad students who's a friend of mine, Shippey has high
expectations, but is willing to entertain all sorts of bizarre beliefs,
theories, and scholarship. My friend is a bizarre mix: a
medievalist who studies rhetoric and focuses on the canon of memory, while also
doing hypertext theory, digital archives, and online education. He's told
me more than once how utterly gracious and generous Shippey can be, in terms of
time, assistance, scholarship, professional advice, etc. In other words,
I know Shippey takes my friend, who's not a philologist, quite seriously.
Like all academics, Shippey is forced to focus his scholarship, thus explaining
his narrow focus. But I know that he loves Tolkien, and I'd wager he'd
welcome a conversation with you,
Curious.
Not all those who wander are lost.
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"He who does not study rhetoric will be a victim of it"
found on a Greek wall from the 6th Century B.C.
