love is a fallacy

Unit 5

Lecturer: Meng FanyanLecturer: Meng Fanyan

Teaching Objectives

To have a basic knowledge of the terms in logic

To appreciate the humor in the story

To analyze the structure of the story

To appreciate the language

Teaching Contents

Background Information Introduction to the passage Detailed study of the text The chief attraction of the story  Language features Exercises

Max Shulman (1919-1988)

one of American best-known and prolific humorists

a writer of many talents He has written novels, stories,

Broadway plays, and television scripts

Masterpieces Barefoot Boy With Cheek( 无礼的赤脚少年） The Feather Merchant （衣冠楚楚的商人） Rally Round the Flag, Boys （孩子们，团结

在旗帜周围吧） Dobie Gillis (TV series) （多比 · 吉尔斯）

His writing often focused on young people, particularly in a collegiate setting.

His book "Barefoot Boy With Cheek," became a musical comedy and ran on Broadway in 1947.

He is probably best remembered for his creation of the character "Dobie Gillis", who was the subject of a series of short stories compiled under the title The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Shulman died of cancer in Los Angeles in 1988.

Logic The Concise Oxford English

Dictionary defines logic as “the science of reasoning, proof, thinking, or inference”.

Logic will let you analyze an argument or a piece of reasoning, and work out whether it is likely to be correct or not.

Logic

It is a science that deals with the principles and criteria of validity of inference and demonstration.

the science of the formal principles of reasoning

Special Terms in Logic

Argument （论证） Fallacy ( 谬误 )

Argument （论证） a statement which is offered as an

evidence or a proof consisting of two major elements

(What are they?)

argument

premises

conclusion

Argument Premises -- a previous statement

serving as a basis for an argument Conclusion--drawn from premises

Usually, an argument is correct (deductively valid) if the premises can provide enough conclusive evidence for the conclusion. Otherwise the argument is wrong. It is said to be fallacious.

Fallacy

false reasoning (as in an argument) a weakness and lack of logic

Material fallacy （内容／材料谬误） Verbal fallacy （话语谬误） Logical/formal fallacy （形式谬误）

fallacy

Material fallacy

Verbal fallacy

Formal fallacy

Three kinds of fallacies

1. material fallacy --- in its material content through a misstatement of the facts.

Material fallacies are mistakes in reasoning that attempt to support their conclusions with faulty or inadequate evidence. (Definition)

2. verbal fallacy --- in its wording through an incorrect use of terms.

3. formal fallacy --- in its structure through the use of an improper process of inference.

Fallacies

1) Dicto Simpliciter 　 ( 绝对判断的谬误 ) 2) Hasty Generalization ( 草率结论的谬

误 ) 3) Post hoc 　 　　　 ( 牵强附会的谬误 ) 4) False Analogy 　 　 ( 错误类比 )

Fallacies 5)Evading the issue (Ad

Misericordiam) ( 文不对题 ) 6) Contradictory Premises （矛盾前

提） 7) Hypothesis Contrary to fact （与事实

相反的假设） 8) Poisoning the well ( 井里投毒）

Dicto Simpliciter ( 绝对判断的谬误 )

"Everyone wants to get married some day."

--- The example starts a logical train of thought with an assumption that is false. Not "everyone" wants to get married.

Watching TV is a waste of time. Money always brings happiness.

unqualified generalization

Hasty Generalization ( 草率结论的谬误 )

"Mr Wang's handwriting is terrible. Mr. Hu's handwriting is also terrible and you know how terrible men's handwriting is."

--- It applies a special case to general rule. That fact that certain person's handwriting is bad doesn't imply that all men’s handwriting is bad.

Post hoc ( 牵强附会的谬误 ) "The last five times that I've worn my

white pants, something depressing has happened. I'm not going to wear those pants again!"

--- This fallacy assumes that if event Y happened after event X, then X must be the cause of Y.

False Analogy ( 错误类比 ) "High school should not require a

freshman writing course. Harvard doesn't require a freshman writing course, and the students get along fine without it".

--- The analogy is false because the two items don't have strong enough similarities to predict that what happens in one will happen in the other.

Evading the issue ( 文不对题 ) “This is a great restaurant : you can see

how shining and clean the kitchens are ". --- The example is called distraction

because the reader's attention is drawn to the cleanness of the kitchen instead of to the excellence of the food, which is usually the determiner of a great restaurant.

Evading the issue ( 文不对题 )

" Ms Bauer is a terrible English teacher. She always wears blue jeans."

--- Instead of pointing out faults in teaching technique, it calls attention to things about a teacher as a person that are unrelated to her teaching performance.

Introduction to the Passage 1. Type of Writing:

a witty mix between essay and fiction

This work proves that love is not logical.

2. Main characters

Dobie Gillis---protagonist Petey Burch---antagonist Polly Espy---antagonist

Question: How were you impressed by the

three characters at the first reading of the story?

(Discussion)

Main characteristics

Dobie Gillis intelligent/keen/calculating/

perspicacious/acute/astute self-important/conceited/pompous/

arrogant/smug cool, logical

Petey Burch: as dumb as an ox; emotional;

unstable; stupid; faddist Polly Espy

beautiful; gracious; unintelligent; empty-headed

3. The main idea

It is about a law student who tries to marry the girl after suitable re-education, but he’s been too clever for his own good. He has really got what he deserved.

聪明反被聪明误

The narrator of the story, Dobie Gillis, a freshman in a law school, is the protagonist. He struggles against two antagonists: Petey Burch, his roommate whose girl friend he plans to steal; and Polly Espy, the girl he intends to marry after suitable re-education.

4. Theme of the passage Love is a fallacy. (stated in the

title)

Really?

Title: humorous, well-chosen Meaning of the Title:

1) There is a deceptive or delusive (false) quality about love.

2) Love cannot be deduced from a set of given premises.

3) Love is an error, a deception and an emotion that does not follow the principles of logic.

5. Organization (Discussion)

Part 1: (paras. 1-3) the author’s note Part 2: (paras. 4-59) the bargain and the

deal between the law student and his roommate over the exchange of the girl

Part 3 (paras. 60-124) the teachings of 8 logical fallacies or the dating with the girl

Part 4 (paras. 125-154) the backfiring of all the arguments

paras. 4-59: beginning paras. 60-124: development paras. 125-154: climax and end

Climax (Where?) The climax of the story is reached at

the part of Paras.147-150 when Polly refuses to go steady with the narrator because she had already promised to go steady with Petey Burch. Then the story moves rapidly to the end on a very ironic note.

6. Language features American colloquialism Informal style (short, elliptical

sentences, dashes, etc.) Rhetorical devices Sharp contrast in the language

(ultra and learned; clipped and vulgar) Inverted sentences

Effect of language

Informal; Humorous; Colorful; Vivid

Question for discussion: Chief attraction: Humor How does the author achieve

the effect of humor?

Title; His note; Contrast; Ending of the story; Name of the character Petey (pity)

Part 1

Paras. 1-3 It’s the author’s note The author’s idea about this story

Charles Lamb (1775-1834)

English essayist and critic Pseudonym: Elia He is now best known for his Essays of

Elia ( 伊利亚随笔集） and Dream’s Children.

He collaborated with his sister Mary in adapting Shakespeare's plays into stories for children.

“Tales from Shakespeare” “莎士比亚故事集”

Question Why does the author mention

Charles Lamb? For what purpose? --- Making a comparison. He tries to

indicate the following piece of writing is even more informal than those of Charles Lamb’s.

enterprising: full of energy and initiative; willing to undertake new projects 有进取心的；有魄力实施新计划的

month of Sundays: (infml.) an indefinitely long period of time

unfetter: free from fetters （脚镣；桎梏）； loosen the chains that bond; free from restraint of any kind; liberate; let sth. go freely / be completely out of control

Metaphor ( to make the essay informal)

Paraphrase

－ Charles Lamb is a very merry and enterprising person. You will meet such a person only after a long time.

－ He wrote the essays “Old China” and “Dream’s Children” that set free the informal essay.

There follows an informal essay that ventures even beyond Lamb’s frontier.

Metaphor Comparing the limitations set by Lamb to

a frontier － The informal essay that follows here is

even much freer than the one Charles Lamb wrote.

specific characteristics of his essay

limp: drooping; lacking firmness flaccid: soft, flabby; hanging in loose

folds spongy: like a sponge; soft and porous The author is joking, not serious. He gives the readers a suspense to

evoke their strong eagerness to read the essay.

Could Carlyle do more? Could Ruskin? (Rhetorical question)

Implied meaning: My writing is even more informal. I

can do better than them.

Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-1881) English author, Scottish writer He influenced social thinking about the

new industrial working class through his essay "Chartism" and his book “The Present and the Past”.

He is best known for his epic history of “The French Revolution” (1837)

John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic and social theorist a writer on art and architecture In his later writings he attacked social

and economic problems. Modern Painters The Stones of Venice The Seven Lamps of Architecture Time and Tide

…logic, far from being a dry, pedantic discipline, is a living, breathing thing, full of beauty, passion, and trauma.

Metaphor & Hyperbole Comparing logic to a living human being Exaggerating for the sake of effect

It isn’t as though I was in love with Polly…or going steady….

Petey Burch is trying to rationalize his action. He is trying to find an excuse to justify his action. In his mind he has decided to accept the coat and give up Polly. Since he was not in love nor going steady with Polly, it wouldn’t be wrong to give her up to his roommate in exchange for the coat.

What’s Polly to me , or me to Polly? Parody ( 仿拟 ) What’s Hecuba to him or he to

Hecuba that he shold weep for her?

(Hamlet)

仿拟（ Parody ）

仿拟是英语语言学分支修辞学的重要修辞手法。这是一种巧妙、机智而有趣的修辞格。它有意仿照人们熟知的现成的语言材料，如成语、谚语、明言、警句等，通过联想、类比方式，根据表达的需要临时创造出新的语、句、篇来，以使语言生动活泼，或讽刺嘲弄，或幽默诙谐，妙趣昂然。典型格式是“本体”和“仿体”一起出现。

仿拟可以分为仿词 , 仿语 , 仿句和仿篇 . 如 :Lady Hermits---Down But Not Out. ( 潦而不倒的女隐士们 )

它仿拟的是习语 down and out( 贫困潦倒 ); To Lie or Not To Lie, that is a question. 它仿拟的是莎士比亚名著哈姆雷特的名句： To be or not to be, that is a question.

It’s just been a casual kick– just a few laughs, that’s all.

This is a final excuse that eases Petey’s conscience. We occasionally went out just for a bit of fun or pleasure, that’s all.

Kick: (American slang) a sharp and strong feeling of excitement

Part 3

Paras. 60—124 the teaching of 8 logical fallacies

11 sub-divisions 1) Paras. 60-61: a survey of the girl 2) Paras.62-74: the teaching of “Dicto

Simpliciter” 3) Paras. 75-79: the teaching of “Hasty

Generalization” 4) Paras. 80-85: the teaching of “Post Hoc” 5) Paras.86-96: The teaching of “Contradictory

Premises” 6) Paras.97-98: (Interposition) He wants to

give the girl back

7) Paras.99-104: The teaching of “Ad Misericordiam”

8) Paras.105-108: The teaching of “False Analogy”

9) Paras.109-114: The teaching of “Hypothesis Contrary to Fact”

10) Paras. 115—122: The teaching of “Poinsoning the well”

11) Paras. 123—124: Review and summary of the teaching fallacies

Paras. 60-61 (1) a survey of the girl first impression of the girl He tries to find out how stupid she

is.

This was in the nature of a survey. The aim of this date was to find out

how stupid (or intelligent) Polly was (so that he would have an idea of how much work he had to do to make her intelligent enough to be his wife).

Exclamatory words like “Gee, Oo” and clipped vulgar forms like “delish, marvy, sensaysh” create the impression of a simple and rather stupid girl.

A contrast between “me” and “Polly”

I went back to my room with a heavy heart.

I went back to my room feeling sad and depressed.

This loomed as a project of no small dimensions.

To teach her to think appeared to be a rather big task.

loom: appear, or come in sight indistinctly No small dimensions: a rather big task Understatement (or Litotes)

Litotes: a figure in which something is expressed by a negation of the contrary ( 间接肯定） This is no small accomplishment. This is not at all unpleasant. The man is no fool. The face wasn't a bad one.

Paras.62—74 (2)

the teaching of fallacy “Dicto Simpliciter”

I had all the facts at my finger tips. I was completely familiar with all the

facts of logic. have sth. at one’s finger tips: to be completely familiar with; to

have available for instant use

blubber: weep loudly, like a child

Paras 105-108 (8)

The teaching of “False Analogy”

I said in a carefully controlled tone. He had to control his tone to keep

himself from screaming. brief: a concise statement of the main

points of a law case, usually filed by counsel for the information of the court诉讼摘要；辩护状

testy: easily annoyed; irritable

Paras. 109—114 (9)

The teaching of “Hypothesis Contrary to Fact”

Nuts: (American slang) It is an exclamation of disgust, scorn,

disappointment, refusal, etc. Doggedly I pressed on. I went ahead stubbornly. I kept on

persistently.

Yummy: (echoic sound made in expressing pleasure at a taste) very tasty ； delectable ； delicious

It just knocked me out. I was excited and filled with pleasure

by the movie.

Knock (oneself) out: (American slang) to elicit enthusiasm

or an emotional response, especially deep sympathy or laughter

使高兴；使情绪激动 E.g. The music was just brilliant

and really knocked me out.

dreamy: (American slang) excellent, wonderful, delightful

fracture: (American slang) to evoke a strong reaction in someone

They ought to put Walter Pidgeon in more pictures.

Thy ought to let Walter Pidgeon act in more movies.

Paras. 115-124 (10)

The teaching of “Poisoning the Well”

One more chance, I decided. I decided that I would give her one

more chance.

There is a limit to what flesh and blood can bear.

Synecdoche There is a limit to what any human

being can bear.

I watched her closely as she knit her creamy brow in concentration.

I watched her as she thought very hard.

knit the brow: to draw the brows together (as when thinking very hard)

creamy: soft

Suddenly, a glimmer of intelligence

— the first I had seen – came into her eyes.

From her eyes I could see that for the first time she was beginning to understand the problem.

a glimmer of: a little, a bit of

indignation: anger or scorn resulting from injustice, ingratitude, or meanness; righteous anger

had by the throat: attack by seizing and squeezing one’s throat

Frantically I fought back the tide of panic surging through me.

Desperately I tried to stop the feeling of panic that was overwhelming me.

At all costs I had to keep cool. I tried, by every means possible, to

keep calm. at all costs: regardless of the cost or

difficulty involved; by any means required

to keep cool: to keep calm; not to get excited

Metaphor 1. Charles Lamb, … unfettered the

informal essay with his memorable Old China and Dream's Children.

2. There follows an informal essay that ventures even beyond Lamb's frontier.

3. Don't you want to be in the swim?

4. Maybe somewhere in the extinct crater of her mind, a few embers still smoldered.

5. Maybe somehow I could fan them into flame.

6. The first man has poisoned the well before anybody could drink from it.

7. He has hamstrung his opponent before he could even start.

8. You are the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space.

9. Logic, far from being a dry, pedantic discipline, is a living, breathing thing, full of beauty, passion, and trauma.

10. At first everything was work, sweat, and darkness. I had no idea when I would reach the light, or even if I would. But I persisted. I pounded and clawed and scraped, and finally I was rewarded. I saw a chink of light. And then the chink got bigger and the sun came pouring in and all was bright.

11. First he looked at the coat with the expression of a waif at a bakery window.

12. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire waxing, resolution waning .

Mixed metaphor

My brain, that precision instrument, slipped into high gear.

Metonymy 1. She was, to be sure, a girl who excited the

emotions but I was not one to let my heart rule my head.

2. You are guilty of Post Hoc.( You are guilty of the logical fallacy called Post Hoc.)

3. Surgeons have X-rays to guide them during an operation.

4. The time had come to change the relationship from academic to romantic.

Parody

What's Polly to me, or me to Polly? ( Hamlet by Shakespeare: What’s

Hecuba to him or he to Hecuba that he shold weep for her?)

Synecdoche

There is a limit to what flesh and blood can bear.

Hyperbole

1. My brain was as powerful as a dynamo, as precise as a chemist's scales, as penetrating as a scalpel.

2. It is not often that one so young has such a giant intellect.

3. "Holy Toledo!" he repeated fifteen or twenty times.

4. he just stood and stared with mad lust at the coat.

5. I had made a logician out of Polly. 6. I paused for a moment while my

massive brain chose the proper words.

Euphemism

Intelligent she was not. In fact, she veered in the opposite direction.

Understatement (Litotes)

This loomed as a project of no small dimensions.

Antithesis 1. It is, after all, easier to make a

beautiful dumb girl smart than to make an ugly smart girl beautiful.

2. Back and forth his head swiveled, desire waxing, resolution waning .

3. If there is an irresistible force, there can be no immovable object. If there is an immovable object, there can be no irresistible force.

Transferred epithet

I said with a mysterious wink and closed my bag and left.

Parallelism

1. My brain was as powerful as a dynamo, as precise as a chemist's scales, as penetrating as a scalpel.

2. After he promised, after he made the deal, after he shook my hand!

Rhetorical question 1. Could Carlyle do more? Could

Ruskin ? 2. Who knew?

Allusion

1. Just as Pygmalion loved the perfect woman he had fashioned, so I loved mine.

2. I was Frankenstein, and my monster had me by the throat.

Characters Dobie Gillis (the narrator)

Intelligent, cool, logical, keen, calculating, perspicacious, acute, astute, shrewd

self-centered selfish self-important/self-conceited/pompous/

arrogant/smug

Characters

Petey Burch as dull as an ox; pitiful; emotional; unstable; impressionable stupid; faddist

Characters Polly Espy

beautiful; gracious; unintelligent; lack of knowledge; simple-minded kind-hearted sympathetic

Word explanation

1. fallacy

   A. religious belief   B. false belief    C. bankruptcy   D. dropping

2. incredulous

   A. unbelieving    B. increasing   C. industrious   D. unbelievable

3. scalpel

   A. a carpet   B. a piece of bread   C. a small, light knife    D. a rising market

4. perspicacious

   A. determinate   B. flagitious   C. prestigious   D. discerning

5. trauma   A. emotional shock   B. mental work   C. the state of not having enough   D. a reinforced structure for

observers

6. shed

   A. take shelter   B. prevent from   C. lose hair   D. keep company with

7. pedantic   A. of a person who likes music   B. of a person who pays attention

to unimportant news   C. of a person who stresses on

sports   D. of a person who emphasizes

trivial points of learning

8. desist

   A. insist on    B. cease   C. heckle   D. castrate

9. proportions

   A. property   B. portions   C. massages   D. dimensions

10. waif

   A. homeless child   B. wandering musician   C. countryman   D. smuggler

11. perspiration

   A. convincing   B. encouraging   C. pledging   D. sweating

12. blubber

   A. speak quickly   B. talk repeatedly   C. say with sobs   D. say with hiccups

13. modulate   A. make a change in the tone   B. cause to do or believe sth.   C. make or become soft   D. change the place or position

14. infamy

   A. being famous for   B. being shameful   C. being honest   D. being refused

15. contrite

   A. sad   B. honest   C. penitent   D. overjoyed

16. wax

   A. grow bigger or greater   B. become less or smaller   C. drop heavily   D. cover with thick coating

17. acme

   A. large group of plants   B. highest point   C. sharp crisis   D. highest mountain peak

18. veer

   A. move forward   B. look sideways   C. change directions   D. pour out

19. exultant

   A. triumphant   B. foreign   C. exhausted   D. overflowing

20. unsightly

   A. invisible   B. ugly   C. precipitate   D. provisional

21. testy

   A. examining   B. proving   C. impatient   D. judging

22. fracture

   A. break   B. combine   C. disagree   D. repeat

23. tug

   A. pull   B. push   C. place   D. fix

24. covet

   A. surround   B. cover   C. avoid   D. desire

25. grueling

   A. complaining   B. moaning   C. tiring   D. unwilling

26. mince

   A. decrease   B. minimize   C. increase   D. euphemize

27. clap

   A. strike   B. walk   C. fall down   D. climb up

28. wince

   A. push forward   B. draw back   C. incise up   D. draw out

29. qualify

   A. equal   B. propose   C. restrict   D. count

30. chink

   A. a precise piece   B. a small piece   C. a big valley   D. a narrow opening

31. shamble

   A. walk in an awkward way   B. tremble terribly   C. close in mild way   D. shine brightly

32. contrite

   A. permitting easily   B. seeing clearly   C. feeling regret   D. looking worried

33. chirp

   A. a long loud sound   B. a short low-pitched sound   C. a low murmuring sound   D. a short, high-pitched sound

34. contradict

   A. take out    B. be contrary to   C. withdraw   D. be relevant to

35. immovable

   A. permanent   B. quick   C. immediate   D. cold

36. penetrate

   A. spread   B. pierce   C. take part   D. formulate

37. specification

   A. a blank or empty area    B. a detailed, exact statement

of particulars   C. a partial excuse   D. the evolutionary formation

of new biological species

38. scrap

   A. special place   B. particular area   C. small piece    D. unseen item

39. tremendous

   A. unique    B. genuine    C. unexpected    D. enormous

40. clutch

   A. grasp tightly   B. hang loosely   C. touch softly    D. hold lightly