Each one Adj-er than the next

[Randy Alexander]

I'm not sure if this semantically backwards construction has been
discussed here (I can't think of a way to search for it in the
archives), but I've been coming across similar constructions lately.
You can google for "each one * than the next", etc.

I first became aware of it as part of a joke: a Protestant pastor
finishes his sermon, processes out to the narthex to greet members of
the congregation on their way out the door.  One little old lady tells
him how much she loves listening to him: each sermon is better than
the next.

I was just reading a journal on East Asian shamanism and came across
this sentence:

"The good fortune lies in the particular topics of the research
articles: as if each of them provides the reader with a natural
transition into the field of reference of the preceding one."

So the reader is supposed to start with the last article, and upon
reading that, they will be provided with a natural transition into the
field of reference of the preceding one?  Read the journal backwards?

--
Randy Alexander
Jilin City, China
My Manchu studies blog:
http://www.bjshengr.com/manchu

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