Billy – age 4 “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
I don’t know who Billy is, but I’m guessing he’s no longer 4. But he nailed it.
I was reminded of this quote, while I was polishing my literature review - again. Think Forth Rail bridge ... Its a privilege to quote others, stand on their understanding to launch your own. But I always feel a sense of trepidation. I just hope that my struggle with the written word never makes another’s name unsafe. Ahmed talks about her library of female writers as a source of strength. Equally, I like being able to refer to members of a tribe, my gang, when trying to say where I first came across an idea. For me over the years reading had been about adding depth and breadth to my own knowledge. So referencing comes with a degree of reverence. It’s not about stripping words of meaning, as I have seen others do. It is about celebrating other people’s thinking. Respecting the vision, feelings and sometimes the ideosincracies that may be at odds with my own. Yes it is about the text, but within the context of a larger piece - a story with its unique narrative.
A review, I think, serves the purpose of setting a piece work in context. It won’t be the first or last piece of work on the subject. It’s a map of past and present thinkers in your field on investigation. For me it’s been less straightforward that I expected. What I found important in the process was connecting past and present, setting a scene of change .
That bit you come back to because meaning won’t stretch to yours…
