For the Sake of Argument

Graff contends that the complexity of an academic subject can and should be communicated to students by intertwining natural language with technical or academic language. Not only is the academic practice of analysis counterintuitive for students, it ruins the fun of reading a text or viewing a film. Graff practices what he preaches, using a readerfriendly style, mixing academic and vernacular language and writing an outsider's perspective within the book, anticipating objections.