another mystery quote

Tue Nov 20 17:03:02 UTC 2012

Wikipedia appears to think so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_V_de_Bueil

Seems to be more a typo than a serious scholarly lapse... (not that I think much of Bennett).

Geoffrey S. Nathan
Faculty Liaison, C&IT
and Professor, Linguistics Program
http://blogs.wayne.edu/proftech/
+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)

----- Original Message -----

> From: "Stephen Goranson" <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 11:28:19 AM
> Subject: Re: another mystery quote

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster: Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> Subject: Re: another mystery quote
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Jean de Bueil ?

> Stephen Goranson
> www.duke.edu/~goranson
> ________________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of
> Jonathan Lighter [wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 11:01 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: [ADS-L] another mystery quote

> William Bennett's hot new inspiration anthology for teenage boys (No
> girls
> allowed!), called _The Book of Man_, includes (p. 36) a paragraph
> from a
> certain French knight who went by the moniker of Jean de Brueil.

> The quote appears in Robert Bly's _Iron John_ (1990) where poet Bly
> tells
> us that it was "found" by the "aikido student and master Terry Dobson
> who
> has taught so many of us the goodness possible inside the warrior"
> (p.
> 2004, p. 137). It was allegedly "spoken" in 1465.

> But surprise! I find no earlier mention of this "Jean de Brueil" (or
> Breuil/ Bruil/ Brule) anywhere in GB, JSTOR or the Net itself. Same
> for his
> alleged words.

> The quote begins:

> "Battle is joyous thing. We love each other so much in battle. If we
> see
> that our cause is just and our kinsmen fight boldly, tears come to
> our
> eyes. A sweet joy rises in our hearts...."

> You get the picture.

> Surely a distinguished and meticulous Harvard graduate, political
> philosopher, and radio host like Dr. Bennett, who notes that the
> "Athenians
> and Spartans fought a bloody and horrific [Peloponnesian] war for
> freedom"
> (instead of out of suspicion and jealousy, as Thucydides imagined)
> must
> have double- and triple-checked the passage for authenticity. Thus,
> among
> the acknowledgments, he is careful to assure us that, yes, the
> passage is
> "by Jean de Brueil."

> No further information is given.

> Garson?

> JL

> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the
> truth."

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