From: "Stuart Elden" <stuartelden-AT-btconnect.com>
Subject: RE: To Rene re: Stuart's Book.
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 15:57:56 +0100


>Personally I agree with you Rene, that if Stuart goes ahead and writes his 
book on the basis of the 'pussy-in-the-middle' plan he has outlined, he will be 
wasting his time both creatively and commercially. The name of the game 
[certainly commercially] is iconoclasm as far as Herr Heidegger is concerned - the 
academic community has 'gone on the turn'  regarding the Magician of Messkirch 
whose tricks turn more and more flat and inept at each performance, and Stuart 
ignores this at his peril. It's completely up to him of course, and it may 
well be that he has done some market research and spotted a niche - I would be 
sincerely happy if I were proved wrong - but I doubt it.> 

There's all sorts of things to be said about this mail, of which most has been said and resaid and doesn't need to be repeated yet again. But can I please assure you that commercial considerations have little to do with this or any other of my research strategies. I like to be read, of course, and I had to convince Edinburgh University Press the book would sell, but I can assure you that were I looking for the commercial route there are more effective things to do with my time. There are other reasons to write, though, thankfully.

On the more substantive point, as I said to Rene this is an approach to a question rather than the topic in itself. But if I'm the pussy-in-the-middle to you and Rene that's a way better place to be than either pole. I'm afraid in this area of creative and commercial worth, as with the academic view of Heidegger you really have no idea what you are talking about.

Stuart



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