XPost: rec.arts.books.childrens, alt.books.cs-lewis, alt.usage.english   
   From: dd@dandrake.com   
      
   On Sat, 29 Apr 2006 09:23:17 UTC, JF  wrote:   
      
   >   
   > That is stupid advice! Read Jack Lewis's opening paragraphs in 'The   
   > Magician's Nephew' as to why it's important to read it first!   
   >   
      
   I think it's only courteous to explain to a newcomer that   
   alt.books.cs-lewis likes a different style of discourse and usually sticks   
   to its principles. It is common in some, like the Tolkien group, to call   
   each other's ideas -- even to call each other -- stupid or worse; but it   
   is not so in alt.books.cs-lewis. It is up to you, obviously, whether or   
   not to conform, but the decision is relevant to whether or not you may   
   expect to _convince_ anyone of anything, you know.   
      
      
      
   This has been discussed at length on many occasions here. The whole   
   subject is now something of a standing joke. The veterans here (a.b.cs-l)   
   have seen every argument you know of and many more, and the chance of some   
   brilliant argument that will persuade them -- based perhaps on a letter   
   that has been discussed here repeatedly over the years -- is so tiny that   
   as a practical matter you can get into a nice flame war without its   
   decreasing your chances of persuading anyone.   
      
      
   --   
   Dan Drake   
   dd@dandrake.com   
   http://www.dandrake.com/   
   porlockjr.blogspot.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)