Responses to Bartholomae and Elbow

In Responses to Bartholomae and Elbow, David Bartholomae is discussing the place of academic writing in the university environment. Bartholomae argues that academic writing is the real work of the academy. He encourages the idea of what he calls a frontier classroom a pure and open space where free writing may be done that's free from the influences of institutional pressures, the influences of culture, an historical moment outside of history, and is an academic setting that's free from academic writing. His desire is to relinquish authority in the classroom, to empower his students, and to give his students ownership of their work.

Peter Elbow discusses the conflict between the role of the writer and that of the academic. Elbow states that his wish is that students inhabit both roles comfortably. He cautions us about treating key texts as museum pieces under glass. Another thing he emphasizes is that writing should be encouraged more than reading.

Bartholomae and Elbow agree on things in large part. One place where they differ is that Bartholomae comes down on the side of skepticism in an undergraduate writing course whereas Elbow takes the side of credulity as the governing idea.