No, I'm not inviting you all out for ice cream. I have noticed over the years in reading scholarly works, that British writers use the term "to treat of," while Americans omit the preposition. For example:

"In his seminal work, C.S. Lewis treats of the development of courtly love in European literature."

I wonder if that preposition is due to the influence of the Romance languages?

F: Il s'agit de
I: Si tratta di
S: Se trata de

Any insights?

quote:

Originally posted by juanruiz:

"In his seminal work, C.S. Lewis treats of the development of courtly love in European literature."

Instead of "C S Lewis treats the development of courtly love" ? As what? A British reader would wonder what Lewis treated it as. As joke? A tragedy? A mystery ? We'd be looking for the rest of the sentence. (Otherwise it means 'courtly love' is an illness known to medical science and C S Lewis is the man treating that, while it is still developing in the patient, 'European literature'. That could, I suppose, be a figurative use)

' To treat of' is rather archaic, certainly old-fashioned, in British English.It's the kind of wording, as is 'in his seminal work', which I'd use in a parody of the writing in an old- fashioned pseudy academic commentary on literature, such as the one I posted as 'Notes for Exams' to dg's line about the golliwog ("in what came to be known as her post Terpsichore period" ).

quote:

' To treat of' is rather archaic, certainly old-fashioned, in British English.

Tell that to the profs of Oxbridge.

quote:

Originally posted by juanruiz:

quote:

' To treat of' is rather archaic, certainly old-fashioned, in British English.

Tell that to the profs of Oxbridge.

I expect they know, if they are young enough.They're not all old fogeys in brown corduroy jackets with leather elbow patches.A few of them are young fogeys in....

[The OED gives 'treat' of or on a subject with a person or subject : Conduct discussion in speech or writing, discourse . The verb is intransitive]

quote:

I expect they know, if they are young enough.They're not all old fogeys in brown corduroy jackets with leather elbow patches

Problem is, the editors of the journals they publish in ARE old fogeys. I know several of them.

quote:

Originally posted by FredPuli:
It's the kind of wording, as is 'in his seminal work', which I'd use in a parody of the writing in an old- fashioned pseudy academic commentary on literature, such as the one I posted as 'Notes for Exams' to dg's line about the golliwog ("in what came to be known as her post Terpsichore period" ).

I thought it was one of your best pieces of writing.

quote:

Originally posted by dg:

quote:

Originally posted by FredPuli:
It's the kind of wording, as is 'in his seminal work', which I'd use in a parody of the writing in an old- fashioned pseudy academic commentary on literature, such as the one I posted as 'Notes for Exams' to dg's line about the golliwog ("in what came to be known as her post Terpsichore period" ).

I thought it was one of your best pieces of writing.

And here the critic treats touchingly,even approvingly, yet not, the reader feels, without irony, of his seminal work....[cont. p94]

Stop! lol ( I'm still cross with you, btw...but that's another thread )