Learn the Discourse First
Bartholomae, author of "Inventing the University", explains how an incoming freshman writes for the faculty of the University for an a placement test but writes by "trying on the discourse" (512) of the University. What he meant by that was how the writer wrote for them using specialized language that is an approximation of their jargon. The article explains how some students make the mistake of not taking into consideration who their reader is. They write blindly without audience awareness. Linda Flowers argues that beginning writers do not imagine how a reader will respond to a text as an expert would.Bartholomae stated that a "writer has to build bridges between his point of view and his writers" (515). I have heard this before from my teachers and I agree that it is important to consider the reader, however, if it is fiction, creative writing that is being written, I think that is a special occasion when it is not as important to focus on one audience. (I am certain they are just talking about essays here). Bartholomae stated that a successful writer is one who can "manipulate" an audience. Although I think he is right that a writer should know his audience, I don't agree with the extent to which he wants his students to be good writers. I don't know every single one of my professors well enough to know exactly what they would write and I have been successful in writing a well written essay that returned a good grade.
I am going to wrap this precis up by saying that Bartholomae believes that before a student can be a successful writer, he must become part of the communal discourse. If the student does not assimilate into the discourse, he cannot possibly write successfully. Bartholomae seems narrow minded in that sense.
Just a couple added thoughts: In this article, I think B means to complicate and challenge Flowers' version of "pay attention to your audience." He connects the idea of audience to that of discourse community. Writing well for the university isn't just a matter of paying attention to one's audience, in his estimation; it is a matter of sharing the ways of thinking, seeing, reading, reasoning, and saying that the audience uses. It is a matter of becoming a member of the community (or mushfaking one's way into it).
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